[quote][b][i]Disclaimer:[/b] Yes, I know about Undead Labs' Class 3 and Class 4 projects. Please, read through before hitting reply to point it out that it looks similar in direction on the first points[/i][/quote] [url=http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=61600276]See original thread here.[/url] For all the videogames set in a zombie post-apocalyptical world, very few ever come close to convey the feeling of survival and zombies as being anything more than stress-relieving baseball bat practice posts/shooting range dummies. Currently, there may be only two games out there who even try to explore the survival side of a zombie apocalypse. We got [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to4lNOuE3FU]Project Zomboid[/url] (which is still in alpha build) and [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCpE9mKeIEA]Arma2[/url] (and I'm talking about a user-made mod running on the architecture of the game). The first example focuses more on micromanagement and survival in the game world on the player side. The second example focuses more on the tactical and combat side. In essence, what I'm proposing would be the spiritual successor of the Arma2 mod with added gameplay and world elements from Project Zomboid. For inspiration, I'll also cite The Walking Dead, 28 Days Later, Amnesia; The Dark Descent and Dawn of the Dead. So, in securing what I'm thinking exactly, I'll put down some of the most important aspects. [quote][quote]1- Open world. The biggest reason for this is freedom. The lack of freedom in zombie games is something that always bugged me and often kept me from completely falling into immersion. Left 4 Dead, for example, used linear levels with set-pieces and scripted events throughout the game. Thus, the characters were never your avatars but simply people you controlled. You played as them, you didn't play them. Ultimately, I'm thinking that a game world set on an island would be the most appropriate as the very implementation of hard or direct soft barriers would also impede on the freedom. Think GTA;SA or Just Cause 2. An island of 15 to 20 kilometers of side would be appropriate.[/quote][quote]2- No [url=http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HollywoodDarkness]Hollywood darkness[/url]. By this, I mean that the world really becomes dark at night. Possible semi-exception when the moon is full or nearly full. Remember that we're thinking about monsters, undead. We're thinking about horror and fear. Would you be in possession of a time machine, I'd ask you to go and ask a certain Mr. Lovecraft about it. The unknown is more fearsome that a known danger. This is a place where I think Amnesia; The Dark Descent shone. The fear was as much self-induced as it was the result of danger. So, when it's nighttime, you better have a flashlight or some sort of night/thermal-vision otherwise you'll hear a groan and be eviscerated without ever seeing a zombie. [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTyIHuDmAXE]Here's an example. Again, Arma 2 and it showcase exactly how dark night actually is. For you city boys, you might never have experienced actual nighttime, this is it.[/url][/quote][quote]3- Vehicles. From a skateboard to an 18-wheeler, provided it is in working condition and fuelled up. Since we're talking about an open-world game, vehicles are to be an important part of gameplay. Lest you wish to be stranded in the middle of a field, low on ammo and surrounded by zombies out for dinner. Of course, vehicles can be damaged. Either from simple long-term use to [i]you-just-ran-over-dozens-of-zombies-your-car-is-done[/i]. Gas/fuel is also a factor. Gasoline could be siphoned from unused vehicles and transported about in jerricans. Also, vehicles can serve as material transport. Enabling you to move a great deal more stuff than you can carry on yourself.[/quote][quote]4- Extensive equipment and gear to use. In this, I'm talking about guns of all sorts, medical supplies such as bandages and antibiotics, long-views, binoculars, maps, compass, GPS, flashlights, batteries (to power GPS/flashlights for example), night-vision goggles, melee weapons, tools, clothing (from a complete soldier suit to a g-string), watches, handheld radios, big marker pens (writing on walls?), jerrycans (see point three), explosives, backpacks (more capacity?), etc.[/quote][quote]5- Fauna. A world is as good to explore as it is alive. If you've played Red Dead Redemption for example, you probably felt that the world was very alive. It could maybe enable hunting for survival purposes for those wary of visiting towns for supplies. Even maybe, meat could be used as zombie bait. Imagine emptying your last pistol magazine on a boar or a deer thinking it was a zombie about to jump you. Also, hostile animals could add a bit to the overall danger. If the island's climate and fauna were to resemble that of a temperate boreal forest (think state of Maine/most of lower Canada), wolves of cougars could be something to look out for.[/quote][quote]6- Multiplayer. A twig is easier to break than a -blam!-ot. Or so the saying goes, never went to San Francisco. But seriously, I am of course setting the game to be something of an ultimate cooperative wank fest. The best gaming shenanigans are always accomplished in the presence of bros.[/quote][quote]7- Tactical. We're talking about zombies here. Their strength lies in the number over individual power. This is something that the show The Walking Dead depicted quite well. I want to bring in strategy into this game and for that we also need stealth to be built as one of the core mechanics. A firearm is one quick and effective way of killing a zombie, but it also makes a whole lot of noise and it would bring in a whole lot of zombies toward you. So, to be able to sneak around, take out zombies silently and maybe even escape a zombie chasing you by going around a corner and hiding somewhere.[/quote][/quote] These seven points are the main particularities which, when put together, would make this game something of another world. They are of course not set definitively and I welcome suggestions and remarks about them. What I have more are simple ideas I didn't have the chance on expanding enough or ideas that are not part of the core mechanics. This is where I want most of the feedback. >[b]Climate[/b]. I've been thinking about climate: how can different weather affect gameplay? Would there be fog in the morning, making visibility very low in valleys and creating a cover when seeing from high grounds? Would storms disorient zombies, making excursions during them less dangerous? In the last thread, some people suggested tornadoes and other extreme weather phenomenon. I'm not too keen on these as they add little, cant' really be avoided and would anyhow happen too scarcely. >[b]Zombies[/b], how do they work? There are dozens of models of zombies out there. Which one? I'm opting for something somewhere between the shambling corpse and the undead Nigerian sprinters from 28 Days Later. How easy is it to kill them? Will enough body damage bring it down? Can they only be killed by destroying their brains? Can you maim zombies? To these four questions, I have no real answer. It's a matter of balance and it can't be decided so early. Though, I like how resilient zombies are in Left 4 Dead at the highest difficulty. As for maiming, Dead Island provided an interesting model. >The [b]infection[/b], how does it work? Is it something like 28 Days Later which turns you immediately (I know 28 Days Later doesn't actually have zombies, semantics) or maybe something like in Dawn Of The Dead which brings forth something similar to sepsis and kills you in a few hours? Can it be treated like a regular infection? That would make a good use of antibiotics. Maybe the variant from The Walking Dead? I personally like it better for gameplay purposes to have infection treatable with antibiotics (scarcity of antibiotic to be toned up?). >[b]Firearms[/b]; how are they handled (ammunitions, availability, attachments like scopes, flashlights or suppressors, etc.)? I'd like ammo to be scarce, but not too much. Ideally, portraying it like it is done in Arma 2 and many other tactical shooters. No ammo pool but a magazine count. Other than that, I'm good with almost anything. >[b]Extensive options[/b]. I'd like game setups to be as customizable as possible. Sliders and on/off options. What if you wanted sluggish undead in one play but fast ones in the next? That would be another level on the freedom. Some presets but everything is tweakable? This is something I think too many games lack. >[b]Avatars[/b]. I don't believe (anymore) in the implementation of classes for this. I'm thinking that player capabilities would only be decided upon what items he has in his possession. But I still think that customizable appearance could bring a touch of fun into this. I'm not talking up to the point of what the Saints Row games now offer but maybe something in the like of GTAIV's multiplayer avatar. With a bit more choice but nothing outrageously out of place. Or, if anything comical is to be put in, make it a reward. Survived a full week on a certain option preset? Green and Purple suit for you, good sir! >[b]Avatar voices[/b]. Games like Left 4 Dead gave a lot of depth to each of its characters and I liked it but if we were to use something like customizable avatars, this would make interactions between characters hard. So, instead simple and short lines of dialogs would be preferred. Something akin to what Bad Company 2 and battlefield 3 did in the multiplayer. Maybe a CommoRose-like system? [Edited on 03.24.2012 3:29 AM PDT]