Non-Summoned Zombies

[paterso 104]

My idea is this:

What if human corpses left for a period of time greater than their 24 hours of loot-protection, have a chance of turning into a zombie?

The chance should not be very high (somewhere below the 50% mark imo) and the zombie will be aggro to everyone. So unlike standard summoned zombies, it will not have an owner.

As a standard zombie, I believe it could keep the rule of only being able to live for so long (24 hours iirc) but if it finds corpses to eat (similar to pigs butchering corpses, but better) then it should be able to add 1-2 hours onto it (possibly per corpse, though it's need for food could be timed so that it won't eat enough inside the 24 hours to last another 24 and thus will eventually die)

In terms of eating corpses, it should be able to butcher the corpse and then take all the meat from the corpse.

As for the zombie's fighting skill, it would be unfair to give it a percentage of fs as you could end up with a zombie taking 80% of the fs of someone with 90fs

The zombie, in my opinion, should take 25 fighting skill to kill (allowing non-premiums to still stand a chance but without making it into an unbelievably weak aggro)

Unlike living beings, I believe the zombie should be virtually immune to bruising, because....well...it's already dead....It's gonna take a flesh wound to kill it again!

Upon examining the zombie, I believe it could be noted what player it once was, for example:

"You catch a look of the zombie's face and recognize it as once being *Playername*..."

In terms of this being for animals instead of just humans, I feel that could cause too many issues with creatures being scattered at deed borders.

So, does wurm think this is a good idea?

If so, see http://wurmonline.us...ummoned-zombies to vote so we can see how popular the idea is.

Feedback

• Zombies should have a cooldown to prevent mass-zombie spawning (Suggested by Aetherwalker) - e.g. each player can only have 1 corpse turn into a zombie per 24 hours.
  
• Chance of becoming a zombie should be directly affected by player stats (Most likely Characteristics) so that a corpse as a result of /suicide cannot become a zombie and very weak players (e.g. a team of alts planning to harrass someone with zombies) have a very very low chance of becoming zombies, whilst stronger players have higher chances of becoming a zombie (Suggested by Tinkerer)
  
• EDIT TO THE ABOVE: Players with under 24 hours in-game time should also be incapable of having zombie corpses.
  
• Special Event: Ability for all corpses to come alive at night (Zombie Apocalypse), Zombies would have immense aggro ranges (more than trolls and hell hounds by far) and whilst not being exceptionally strong, they would gather and move as groups (Zombie Hordes). (Thanks Perryn) - Could also mean that players recieve an achievement for surviving a Zombie Apocalypse. - P.S. Would be ideal to have this specifically on halloween.
  
• (Perryn Also) If a player recieves a bite from a zombie, they are infected and have a limited amount of time (e.g. 30 minutes or until the next nightfall) to apply a healing cover (or something similar, e.g. praying to your god and then attaching the healing cover, or having a priest do the same if you are not a follower). - Would mean that zombies should not bite that much, or they would have to specifically penetrate your armor.
  
• If you are killed by a zombie on the Zombie-apocalypse event, and have greater than 24 hours in-game time (for newbie's sake) then your corpse will become a zombie after a certain time (possibly 1-2, or 3-4 hours?) - Edited slightly but suggested by Mrdude
  

[Tpikol 1,057]

could be nice with a low chance,50 percent would mean spawn towns would be full of zombies that would kill noobs and make more zombies

[paterso 104]

could be nice with a low chance,50 percent would mean spawn towns would be full of zombies that would kill noobs and make more zombies

Agreed, Like I said, under 50%. I don't really want to be picking the specific percent chance. Realistically I'd be thinking of under 30% chance.

[Aetherwalker 1,863]

Add a cooldown so you can't just take a suicide froob alt team to the village of someone you don't like (or the spawn)

[paterso 104]

Add a cooldown so you can't just take a suicide froob alt team to the village of someone you don't like (or the spawn)

That would be the equivalent of harrassment in the current rules system in my opinion.

also, if the chance of becoming a zombie was low enough (like my desired <= 30% chance) then a suicide froob team would be inneffective. But I shall add it as a user suggestion on the main post.

[Uberknot 327]

-1 There are better mobs being worked on I'll take those first Plox.

Oh and what about vampires and werewolves? or maybe they should turn into blobs?

[KaiH 1,126]

In memory of Mrbloodworth' zombie spawns at Freedom Market there should be a 0.1% chance to spawn a Lich king.

[Ord_V2 68]

I agree and say 20% chance for it?

[Tinkerer 107]

One way would be to base the spawn chance off one of that persons stats - eg body strength or something. So there would be a much lower chance if it were a dead noob or a froob alt, but a much higher chance if it was a more established player's unburied corpse. Perhaps also a zero chance if it was the result of a suicide.

Perhaps also the chance could be affected by current season - higher chance at specific points in the wurm-year.

Quite a fun idea as ideas go.

[paterso 104]

One way would be to base the spawn chance off one of that persons stats - eg body strength or something. So there would be a much lower chance if it were a dead noob or a froob alt, but a much higher chance if it was a more established player's unburied corpse. Perhaps also a zero chance if it was the result of a suicide.

Perhaps also the chance could be affected by current season - higher chance at specific points in the wurm-year.

Quite a fun idea as ideas go.

Nice idea, I'll add it.

[darthryan 588]

Would be fun for us older players... not for new guys though. "Oh, I was dying to spiders all day yesterday, and now my corpses turned into zombies and are killing me again... FFS!"

[Ord_V2 68]

Oh better yet!!!

Add a use for disease if you are diseased it is a 75% chance that if you die with disease you turn into a zombie

[Wox 1,477]

Maybe a "must have played x hours" check would prevent new players to spawn as zombie.

[Tinkerer 107]

Ah yes... had forgotten about the "time played" value. That would be a better thing to base % chance on.

<10 days or .suicide = 0% chance

10-50 days = 20% chance

50+ = 40% chance

This also assumes that the un-buried corpse wouldn't become a zombie until the 24hr timer had elapsed or the corpse had been released by the player. (/release corpse)

[Epic_Sojourner 8]

Lol I can already see the panicked freedom kchat:

"My neighbors attacking me!

When did freedom become PvP?!?!

No it cant have been his zombie I just had a 10 min convo with him and for the first time he didn't seem like a dim wit!

Lol

[Perryn 79]

instead of each single zombie have x % chance to come to life... ild suggest the entire world have an x % chance ALL corpses will come to life.

Criteria...

- Has to happen at dusk... game rolls for sake of argument a 10% chance of zombie apocalypse. (zombies eyes have night shine in them)

- Zombies life span are until dawn.

- Zombies can not be tamed or made a pet in any fashion.

- If a zombie kills a player... that players corpse drops its inventory and becomes a zombie.

- Zombies are slow... but gravitate into groups... and aggro range is MASSIVE. In other words they will gravitate to the closest player like half a map away.

- |Are as difficult as say goblins.

- Slow Attack rate... but heavy damage per hit.

- If a player is hit by a bite from a zombie... they are infected and have x time to get a special healing cover on the wound. (special healing covers are made from two specific alchemy items only.)

Edited June 24, 2012 by Perryn

[paterso 104]

instead of each single zombie have x % chance to come to life... ild suggest the entire world have an x % chance ALL corpses will come to life.

Criteria...

- Has to happen at dusk... game rolls for sake of argument a 10% chance of zombie apocalypse. (zombies eyes have night shine in them)

- Zombies life span are until dawn.

- Zombies can not be tamed or made a pet in any fashion.

- If a zombie kills a player... that players corpse drops its inventory and becomes a zombie.

- Zombies are slow... but gravitate into groups... and aggro range is MASSIVE. In other words they will gravitate to the closest player like half a map away.

- |Are as difficult as say goblins.

- Slow Attack rate... but heavy damage per hit.

- If a player is hit by a bite from a zombie... they are infected and have x time to get a special healing cover on the wound. (special healing covers are made from two specific alchemy items only.)

Nice idea, but sounds more like a special event kind of thing. imo that would be cool but the standard zombie idea would still exist.

[Perryn 79]

Wurm needs more "Special Events" imo

[paterso 104]

Wurm needs more "Special Events" imo

By Special event I meant just an uncommon event. But would be good as a recurring and fun event. Would also encourage corpse-disposal.

[Uberknot 327]

I think GM events are the best way todo anything with the zombies. I also could see this happening through a period of time ( Like phases of the Moons ) and then end, I don't really want to see corpses doing this all the time though.

[paterso 104]

I think GM events are the best way todo anything with the zombies. I also could see this happening through a period of time ( Like phases of the Moons ) and then end, I don't really want to see corpses doing this all the time though.

Nor would I. I'd be toning down the occurence to 2.5% chance or 5% chance, every 1 in 10 wurm nights having a zombie raid is too much. But I do believe it would be fun.

[Perryn 79]

ya i would agree... a very very low chance of happening.

[paterso 104]

It has to be low, otherwise there's no point in calling it an event. I would expect it to be so low that it happened 2-3 times a month, if not 1-2 times a month.

[Sir Arowhun 473]

Maybe zombies could infect other corpses on the ground.

[Kamikazifly 70]

of course i love zombies. But it would be cooler if they only raised from the dead on marsh tiles. And also everywhere on Halloween day of the wurm year.

Edited June 26, 2012 by Kamikazifly