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[[File:Idle_Zombie_Horde.png‎ |400px|thumb|right|Zombies]]
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'''Zombies''' are the game's biggest threat, the once human citizens of Muldraugh roam [[Knox County]] in the thousands. They have an insatiable hunger for human flesh and will not hesitate to kill.
'''Zombies''' are the game's biggest threat, the once human citizens of Muldraugh roam [[Knox County]] in the thousands. They have an insatiable hunger for human flesh and will not hesitate to kill.
The Zombies are inspired by the Max Brooks (author of "World War Z"; "Zombie Survival Guide"). Many of the game's mechanics are inspired by such books.


==Zombie Mechanics==
==Zombie Mechanics==
===Spawning and Movement===
===Spawning===
In the beginning of the game, a relatively small number of zombies (ranging in the hundreds) will be thrown in the world. Some will be "ambush zombies" that hide in houses and others will simply roam the street. Hordes will begin to form but will remain uncommon in the first few days.
In the beginning of the game, Zombies heavily populate the west side of Muldraugh and thin out from there throughout the town as the meta-game plays its role to spread the zombie population around. However, the west side will usually have a considerable amount of more zombies than the east side. Around the outskirts of town (farms, lumber mills), only small pockets of zombies will spawn naturally.


As time passes, the zombies start spawning at the edge of the map, and reinforcements will constantly pour in to replace any fallen zombies. By day 5, the maximum number of zombies will be reached.
The vast wilderness around Muldraugh is more or less considered a "safe zone" from zombies, because zombies never spawn in this part of the map and they will rarely move here because not much happens in the meta-game around these parts. However, the player will find much less in terms of supplies and housing, forcing the player to live a "camping lifestyle".
This is to simulate where most citizens would have died/would have been at the time of turning and that most citizens will attempt to seek safety in the most loot-rich areas of Muldraugh.


The meta game will move the zombies around in order to create an interesting game. The meta game will create events that will lead zombies to a certain location.
===Movement and Horde Behavior===
[[File:Zombie_Movement.png‎ |400px|thumb|right|Horde Movement]]
The [[Game Modes#Customization|default zombies]] in the game are traditional shamblers, but newly-turned zombies shamble a lot faster, almost at about an alive human's walking speed (about 1.5m/s). Zombies are attracted to [[noise]], bright light (particularly from a [[flashlight]] or [[fire]]), and the sight of humans.


===Pathfinding===
Zombies will prioritize their pathfinding needs. The sight of human flesh will always be first priority- both the flesh of the [[player]] or a [[NPC]]. Then, they will prioritize any [[noise]] they may hear, regardless of whether that noise is man-made or not.


Zombies have a default sight range of 20 tiles ahead of them. If a target is visible in that 20 tile area ahead of the zombie, the zombie will navigate towards the target. When a target is behind a zombie, that sight range is greatly reduced. However, there is a random chance that a zombie may track a target that they cannot see by "smelling" the target. Once the target is within a few tiles from the zombie, the zombie will stop pathfinding and will "lunge" at the target. If a zombie hears a sound that's in range of them (and is the relative loudest sound they hear from their position) they will head to a random point within 50% of the range of the sound.
With the introduction of wandering mechanic in 0.2.0r RC2.9.9.11, zombies will occasionally move around without hearing anything. Where as before hordes were idle, now they will wander about, breaking windows and doors that happen to be in the way. When it is raining, zombies will wander even more.


Zombies will prioritize their pathfinding needs. The sight of human flesh will always be first priority- both the flesh of the [[player]] or a [[NPC]].
At times, helicopters flying overhead, or gunshots fired in the distance will attract and move hordes of zombies. This is zombies reacting to the metagame, so that the zombies will migrate around the map. The metagame is in charge of creating zombie movement patterns around the map, to properly distribute them and make a balanced gameplay.


===Movement and Horde Behavior===
===Combat and Damage===
 
Zombies fight by coming up close to the player and then extends its arms. Damages from zombies can result in three ways: bites, scratches, and "punches". Bites are the rarest, but have a 96% chance to infect you, so you obviously want to be careful so you can avoid getting a festering bite. Scratches are quite frequent, but they only have 25% chance to infect you, but they are still very dangerous even so. "Punches" are just wounds that do not break through skin, and having the thick skinned perk can help you turn the more dangerous bites and scratches into less dangerous "punches". Punches do not have a chance of infection, and when you hover over the status bar of the body part, it will only say "slight damage", without anything underneath. Unlike bites and scratches, "punches" do not require bandaging or first aid of any kind, just some time to heal and some minor pain that can be dealt with by utilizing pain killers.
 
When attacking a survivor, a zombie will grab that survivor and will hinder the survivor's movements. While it is possible to shake off a single- or even a few uncoordinated zombies, zombies in large numbers will prevent movement- and escape- altogether, dooming the survivor while he or she gets eaten alive.


The zombies in the game are traditional and shamble, but newly-turned zombies move faster. Zombies are attracted to [[noise]], bright light (particularly from a [[flashlight]] or [[fire]]), and the sight of humans.  
Zombies are also able to deal "door damage" to doors and player-made walls. Although they deal relatively little damage, they can deal a good amount of damage if left alone for a long time or if in larger groups. Zombies banging on doors will attract other zombies, and it will convince them to bang on doors/windows or just mill around until something happens (if there are already too many zombies banging). Fortunately, there is a small chance NPCs and players can dissuade the zombies by staying absolutely silent for a good amount of time, but that is not reliable. A single zombie can destroy an un-barricaded window in seconds.


Lemmy also provided further information<ref>http://theindiestone.com/community/viewtopic.php?p=21705#p21705</ref> on the behaviour of zombie hordes:
Zombies have very quiet footsteps. Therefore, a survivor always has to be on guard for zombies. However, they tend to moan and alert their prey of their presence. Furthermore, they tend to make a lot of noise while moving, because they carelessly reveal their positions by doing noisy things such as brushing against trees or thumping on doors and windows. These noises are good to look out for.


:At the start of the game, there are three hordes of massive sizes ranging in the hundreds or dozens at least. About 50% of the total map zombies are put in a horde, the others are randomly distributed around the map as stragglers and loners.
===Crawlers===


:Zombies that not in the horde head toward the nearest horde if there are any in the vicinity, while wandering around outside the player's sight. The hordes all move around the map at a slow speed, heading to a random point on the map, then another, then another.


However, at 30 days in the game, the horde movement will be a little more unrealistic. Instead of moving to random locations, they will deliberately search the map until they find the player, and therefore, makes the hordes much more dangerous.
[[File:Crawler.png‎ |400px|thumb|right|A dead crawler]]


===Combat and Damage===
Occasionally, zombies may be turned upside, on its stomach or on its back, and may approach a survivor or a source of noise- by crawling. Sometimes, after a zombie is knocked down, instead of getting up, it can decide to crawl around. Other times, a crawler might just "play dead" by lying down and may emerge when it hears a noise or some prey. These zombies are even more dangerous than the standard walking variant.


Zombies fight by coming up close to the player and then extends its arms. Damages from zombies can result in three ways: bites, scratches, and "punches". Bites are the rarest, but have a 96% chance to infect you, so you obviously want to be careful so you can avoid getting a festering bite. Scratches are quite frequent, but they only have 25% chance to infect you, but they are still very dangerous even so. "Punches" are just wounds that do not break through skin, and having the thick skinned perk can help you turn the more dangerous bites and scratches into less dangerous "punches". Punches do not have a chance of infection, and when you hover over the status bar of the body part, it will only say "slight damage", without anything underneath. Unlike bites and scratches, "punches" do not require bandaging or first aid of any kind, just some time to heal and some minor pain that can be dealt with by utilizing pain killers.
This type of zombie moves extremely slowly, at about a fifth of the speed the standing zombie may move at. Therefore, when a crawler is in a horde, it will usually straggle behind and separate from the rest of the horde. However, because it moves slowly, it makes little noise. Although it may moan every now and then, its method of movement makes little noise and its slow speed makes it harder to hear- even if it were to make a lot of noise to reach its target. Furthermore, this type of zombie can be submerged by tall objects such as crops; survivors should be cautious when exploring unsecured/obscured territories. Because a crawler does NOT get knocked back when hit by a non-fatal blow, it is risky to fight even a single crawler head on with a melee weapon. However, a crawler is NOT capable of sieging a structure's door or window.


Zombies are also able to deal "door damage". Although they deal relatively little damage (individually 0.02 or so damage every 2 seconds), they can deal a good amount of damage if left alone for a long time or if in larger groups. Zombies banging on doors will attract other zombies, and it will convince them to bang on doors/windows or just mill around until something happens (if there are already too many zombies banging). Luckily, there is a small chance NPCs and players can dissuade the zombies by staying absolutely silent for a good amount of time, but that can be pretty hard when one needs to walk around the structure.
One weakness is that it has trouble turning around. Unlike the regular zombie, a crawler has to push its entire body 180 degrees to turn around. A survivor can manipulate this by going behind the rotating zombie and finishing it off quickly, if the survivor has time. However, this approach will only work on an one-on-one situation. If there are more zombies- regardless of whether they are crawlers or standard walkers, this approach is too risky since it takes a lot of time.


As of 0.2.0R RC1, there are combat animations that were previously absent in any version older that alpha 0.2.0q.
It is unknown whether a crawler is able to get up and walk around like a regular zombie again.


===Infection===
===Infection===


Humans (the player and the NPCs) who get too close to zombies may be bitten, scratched, or otherwise injured. Bites have a 96% change of infection, and scratches have 25%, but both are very dangerous. When a character is infected [[Moodles#Sick|sick moodle]] appears to verify it, and the moodle's intensity will slowly increase, until the character has a full blown fever. However, the sick moodle can also happen because the character ate raw or rotten foods or out of the blue. When this happens, there will be no zombification, and the moodle will usually go away by itself with rest and by being well fed, and won't be of much harm to the character except decreased abilities for a small amount of time.
Humans (the player and the NPCs) who get too close to zombies may be bitten, scratched, or otherwise injured. Bites have a 96% chance of infection, and scratches have 25%, but both are very dangerous. When a character is infected the [[Moodles#Sick|sick moodle]] appears to verify it, and the moodle's intensity will slowly increase, until the character has a full blown fever, and will succumb to it. However, the sick moodle can also happen because the character ate raw or rotten foods, although sometimes the moodle appears out of the blue. When this happens, there will be no zombification, and the moodle will usually go away by itself with rest and by being well fed, and won't be of much harm to the character except decreased abilities for a small amount of time.
 
==Loot==


After a zombie is killed, it's corpse will become a container. Usually, the clothes that are worn on the zombies are the only loot. However, occasionally, useless items such as wallets and wedding rings can spawn on certain corpses. Even more uncommonly, useful items such as weapons and nails can spawn on a zombie's corpse. A zombie's corpse has a capacity of 5.


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 17:24, 12 November 2013


Zombies

Zombies are the game's biggest threat, the once human citizens of Muldraugh roam Knox County in the thousands. They have an insatiable hunger for human flesh and will not hesitate to kill.

The Zombies are inspired by the Max Brooks (author of "World War Z"; "Zombie Survival Guide"). Many of the game's mechanics are inspired by such books.

Zombie Mechanics

Spawning

In the beginning of the game, Zombies heavily populate the west side of Muldraugh and thin out from there throughout the town as the meta-game plays its role to spread the zombie population around. However, the west side will usually have a considerable amount of more zombies than the east side. Around the outskirts of town (farms, lumber mills), only small pockets of zombies will spawn naturally.

The vast wilderness around Muldraugh is more or less considered a "safe zone" from zombies, because zombies never spawn in this part of the map and they will rarely move here because not much happens in the meta-game around these parts. However, the player will find much less in terms of supplies and housing, forcing the player to live a "camping lifestyle".

This is to simulate where most citizens would have died/would have been at the time of turning and that most citizens will attempt to seek safety in the most loot-rich areas of Muldraugh.

Movement and Horde Behavior

Horde Movement

The default zombies in the game are traditional shamblers, but newly-turned zombies shamble a lot faster, almost at about an alive human's walking speed (about 1.5m/s). Zombies are attracted to noise, bright light (particularly from a flashlight or fire), and the sight of humans.

Zombies will prioritize their pathfinding needs. The sight of human flesh will always be first priority- both the flesh of the player or a NPC. Then, they will prioritize any noise they may hear, regardless of whether that noise is man-made or not.

With the introduction of wandering mechanic in 0.2.0r RC2.9.9.11, zombies will occasionally move around without hearing anything. Where as before hordes were idle, now they will wander about, breaking windows and doors that happen to be in the way. When it is raining, zombies will wander even more.

At times, helicopters flying overhead, or gunshots fired in the distance will attract and move hordes of zombies. This is zombies reacting to the metagame, so that the zombies will migrate around the map. The metagame is in charge of creating zombie movement patterns around the map, to properly distribute them and make a balanced gameplay.

Combat and Damage

Zombies fight by coming up close to the player and then extends its arms. Damages from zombies can result in three ways: bites, scratches, and "punches". Bites are the rarest, but have a 96% chance to infect you, so you obviously want to be careful so you can avoid getting a festering bite. Scratches are quite frequent, but they only have 25% chance to infect you, but they are still very dangerous even so. "Punches" are just wounds that do not break through skin, and having the thick skinned perk can help you turn the more dangerous bites and scratches into less dangerous "punches". Punches do not have a chance of infection, and when you hover over the status bar of the body part, it will only say "slight damage", without anything underneath. Unlike bites and scratches, "punches" do not require bandaging or first aid of any kind, just some time to heal and some minor pain that can be dealt with by utilizing pain killers.

When attacking a survivor, a zombie will grab that survivor and will hinder the survivor's movements. While it is possible to shake off a single- or even a few uncoordinated zombies, zombies in large numbers will prevent movement- and escape- altogether, dooming the survivor while he or she gets eaten alive.

Zombies are also able to deal "door damage" to doors and player-made walls. Although they deal relatively little damage, they can deal a good amount of damage if left alone for a long time or if in larger groups. Zombies banging on doors will attract other zombies, and it will convince them to bang on doors/windows or just mill around until something happens (if there are already too many zombies banging). Fortunately, there is a small chance NPCs and players can dissuade the zombies by staying absolutely silent for a good amount of time, but that is not reliable. A single zombie can destroy an un-barricaded window in seconds.

Zombies have very quiet footsteps. Therefore, a survivor always has to be on guard for zombies. However, they tend to moan and alert their prey of their presence. Furthermore, they tend to make a lot of noise while moving, because they carelessly reveal their positions by doing noisy things such as brushing against trees or thumping on doors and windows. These noises are good to look out for.

Crawlers

A dead crawler

Occasionally, zombies may be turned upside, on its stomach or on its back, and may approach a survivor or a source of noise- by crawling. Sometimes, after a zombie is knocked down, instead of getting up, it can decide to crawl around. Other times, a crawler might just "play dead" by lying down and may emerge when it hears a noise or some prey. These zombies are even more dangerous than the standard walking variant.

This type of zombie moves extremely slowly, at about a fifth of the speed the standing zombie may move at. Therefore, when a crawler is in a horde, it will usually straggle behind and separate from the rest of the horde. However, because it moves slowly, it makes little noise. Although it may moan every now and then, its method of movement makes little noise and its slow speed makes it harder to hear- even if it were to make a lot of noise to reach its target. Furthermore, this type of zombie can be submerged by tall objects such as crops; survivors should be cautious when exploring unsecured/obscured territories. Because a crawler does NOT get knocked back when hit by a non-fatal blow, it is risky to fight even a single crawler head on with a melee weapon. However, a crawler is NOT capable of sieging a structure's door or window.

One weakness is that it has trouble turning around. Unlike the regular zombie, a crawler has to push its entire body 180 degrees to turn around. A survivor can manipulate this by going behind the rotating zombie and finishing it off quickly, if the survivor has time. However, this approach will only work on an one-on-one situation. If there are more zombies- regardless of whether they are crawlers or standard walkers, this approach is too risky since it takes a lot of time.

It is unknown whether a crawler is able to get up and walk around like a regular zombie again.

Infection

Humans (the player and the NPCs) who get too close to zombies may be bitten, scratched, or otherwise injured. Bites have a 96% chance of infection, and scratches have 25%, but both are very dangerous. When a character is infected the sick moodle appears to verify it, and the moodle's intensity will slowly increase, until the character has a full blown fever, and will succumb to it. However, the sick moodle can also happen because the character ate raw or rotten foods, although sometimes the moodle appears out of the blue. When this happens, there will be no zombification, and the moodle will usually go away by itself with rest and by being well fed, and won't be of much harm to the character except decreased abilities for a small amount of time.

Loot

After a zombie is killed, it's corpse will become a container. Usually, the clothes that are worn on the zombies are the only loot. However, occasionally, useless items such as wallets and wedding rings can spawn on certain corpses. Even more uncommonly, useful items such as weapons and nails can spawn on a zombie's corpse. A zombie's corpse has a capacity of 5.

References