Talk:Combat Suggestions

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Combat Skills

Military Skill Tree

The two basic military skills are combat and reconnaissance. Only combat skills are listed on this page.

  • Basic Firearm Training - Player gets +25% to hit with all ranged weapon attacks. The Private and Cop both start with this skill.
    • Pistol Training - An extra +25% to hit with a pistol.
      • Advanced Pistol Training - An extra +10% to hit with a pistol.
        • Pistol Experience 1-10. Each buys +1% to hit with a pistol. At 100XP a piece, this shouldn't be too overwhelming.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep--Why don't you like this idea? Is 10% for 1k XP so unbalancing? I like the idea of as many skills as possible, so that it's harder to top out and get bored and samey.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Dual Wield - If player has at least two loaded handguns in his/her possession, he/she can choose to fire one in each hand simultaneously for one AP, but loses anywhere between 25% to 35% to hit for each shot.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Pistol Whip - The survivor can use their pistol as a melee weapon. The attack causes 1 damage and has 25% to hit. Bonuses from Hand to Hand Combat do apply.
Keep--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
    • Shotgun Training - An extra +25% to hit with a shotgun.
      • Advanced Shotgun Training - An extra +10% to hit with a shotgun.
        • Shotgun Experience 1-10. Each buys +1% to hit with a shotgun. At 100XP a piece, this shouldn't be too overwhelming.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Double Barrel - Player shoots both barrels of the shotgun simultaneously for one AP. Maximum damage is combined from both shells. Chance to hit remains the same. Additionally, player can reload two shells at once.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Shotgun melee - Player is trained to use shotgun as a melee weapon, by reversing it and do a stock strike, or swing it as a club. The attack causes 2 damage and has 15% chance to hit. Bonuses from Hand to Hand Combat do apply.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
    • Rifle Training - An extra +25% to hit with a rifle.
      • Advanced Rifle Training - An extra +10% to hit with a rifle.
        • Rifle Experience 1-10. Each buys +1% to hit with a rifle. At 100XP a piece, this shouldn't be too overwhelming.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
    • Marksmanship - You can shoot characters outside the building you are in for 2 AP, unless it is barricaded too heavily. Headshots are not allowed. (Obviously, this enables you to see outside of the building you are in without actually leaving.)
Keep--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Speed Loading - Loading pistol clips and shotgun shells takes no APs.
Keep--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
'Keep--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Sniping - You can shoot characters outside the building you are in for 2AP, regardless of how it is barricaded. Headshot allowed with rifle only.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep--Maybe overpowered...make it 3 AP or only possible with light barricades, maybe. But it's realisteic and not hugely unbalanced.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Hand To Hand Combat - Player gets +15% to hit with all melee weapon attacks.
    • Crippling Blow - Costs 100XP. Simulating a disabling strike to the knee or other joints. Drains enemy's AP instead of HP. Perhaps the attack should cost 2AP for a 20% chance to drain 3AP from an enemy.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Trip/Knockdown - Costs 150XP. Work with me on this one: a low chance of success, AP intensive move that knocks an enemy to the ground, doing no damage but causing them to spend the 10AP to stand back up. Perhaps the stand-up cost for a knockdown should only be 5AP since the character is just getting up from being knocked down, not killed.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
    • Knife Combat - An extra +15% to hit with a knife.
      • Combat Knife Training - Player gets an extra +15% to hit with the Combat Knife.
    • Axe Proficiency - An extra +15% to hit with an axe. The Firefighter begins with this skill.
      • Dismemberment - Successful Axe attacks (perhaps any melee weapon attack?) have a 5%-10% chance to dismember the target. The zombie stands up with -5 HP after death. Stacks once maximum. "Your mighty swing hacks off an arm/leg/hand/foot/lung/etc." Other humans start to call you "Paul Bunyan" after a while and chide you about wearing flannel.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Axe Experience 1-10. Each buys +1% to hit with an axe. At 100XP a piece, this shouldn't be too overwhelming.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep--Especially this one, since axe has a lower max acc. in the first place. It's still be only 1.5/AP, which zeds get, so why not humans?--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Throw Axe Character throws axe at target. 5 damage, 60% accuracy, lose your axe. Pistol would be better and easier to get more ammo for, but this skill allows for one final, rather stronger attack for melee players.
    • Feint - Allows the player to spend an AP to feint, doubling the chance that thier next melee weapon attack will hit. (Yes, I realise this results in the same average damage- that's why I figure its not unbalancing. Instead, its designed to allow you to be sure of hitting when you only need one hit, and can't afford to get two misses in a row.)(Feinting only works on the living, the dead don't have the mental capacity to be tricked, but how about 'Careful Aim' with the same effect, 2AP for double accuracy, good with melee and ranged and helps preserve ammo?)
  • Demolitions Enables player to place and detonate C4 charges (and perhaps disable them?).
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill: No use--The redstar swl 06:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--Explosives are unnecessary.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
    • Terrorist Training Enables player to strap C4 charges to himself, could be useful for zombie spies. Always kills the user of the skill, at severe health loss (-25-30?).
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill: Retarded idea--The redstar swl 06:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill, what the hell? --LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)

Zombie Skill Tree

  • Digestion - Whenever the zombie deals bite damage, it gains HP equal to the damage dealt.
    • Gastric Miasma - The zombie's foul digestive juices seep up from its fetid stomach. Zombie gains an extra 1 damage to bite attacks.


    • Feeding Frenzy - Zombie gets an extra +5% to hit with all attacks for every 10 zombies in the area.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep/Kill--That may seem confusing. First, I think this is an OK idea, but also, I think there's a few, better-explained ideas on the theme of zeds getting bonuses from hording somewhere else, so this needn't be here.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
    • Corrosive Bile - The Zombie can spew it's stomach acids onto an enemy as a defenseive measure. Whenever the Zombie is hit by a melee attack, there is a 10% chance that the attacker is hit by the acid and takes 5 damage.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
    • Infectious Bite: Bitten survivors become infected and lose 1HP per action until cured.
      • Degenerative Bite - Bitten survivors become feverishly infected and lose 2HP per action until cured.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep/Change--Maybe have only 5 or 10% chance of Degenerative and just Infectious otherwise.
      • Contagious Bite - Bitten survivors become carriers. Each AP spent by a survivor in the same room as a carrier gives that survivor a 10% chance of catching a normal infection. This includes the carrier (which makes incubation time random)
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Death Stench - Zombie can choose to emit a foul stench which stays in the same block. It disappears only after either 24 hours has elapsed or 10 AP has been spent in the block. Every AP spent by a human in said cloud would have a 10% chance of becoming infected and a 50% chance of taking 1 damage. Effect DOES NOT stack. So if 5 stenches were in one square then there would still be a 10% chance of infection and 50% chance of taking 1 damage. Using this ability in an already stenched block would NOT reset the timers or extend them, the user would simply be told, "There is already a stench here".
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--Same reason as on main page--oeverpowered.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Putrid Flesh - Zombie's rotting flesh starts to create a smell around it. Any survivor using a handheld weapon (such as an axe) to fight it would have to fight the feeling of nausea from close quarters. -10% to attack for all humans using hand/melee weapon attacks.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill-Overpowered--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Vigour Mortis - Zombie gets +10% to hit with all non-weapon attacks. The Corpse class starts with Vigour Mortis.
    • Neck Lurch - Zombie gets an extra +10% to hit with bite attacks.
      • Jagged Teeth - Biting attacks deal an extra 1 damage.
Kill--Flak jackets--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep, not EVERYONE has a jacket... --LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Sturdy Jaw - Zombie gets an extra +15% to hit with bite attacks.
Kill, nice name, loser. --LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
        • Head Bite - If you kill a human, it loses 10XP for each level it had beyond the first. It retains its skills.
Kill, diversity must be preserved. --LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--*nod*--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Terrifying Attack - 10% of succesful bites results in a scream of pain from the victim. (Audible from a distance much like a flare, will have effect of possibly attracting both zombies and humans to a killzone.)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep--interesting idea.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
    • Death Grip - Zombie gets an extra +20% to hit with hand attacks.
      • Muscle renewal - Zombie gets an extra +10% to hit with hand attacks.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Double Swing - Zombie gets a 20% chance of hitting twice with a hand attack
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
    • Rend Flesh - Hand attacks deal an extra 1 damage.
      • Toughened Tendons - Hand attacks deal an extra 1 damage.
Kill--1.5/AP is probly as high as we want no-ammo attacks to get.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Sundering Claws - Whenever the Zombie hits another player with a Claw attack, there is a small chance (say 10%) of a random item from that player's inventory being destroyed by the attack. (as a sidenote, maybe the % chance of destruction could be related to the number of items the player possesses, e.g. 3% x No. of Items)
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Sharp Claw - Every claw attack has a 10% chance of dealing 5 damage.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep/Change--May be overpowered as is. Would work with just 4 dam., or
      • Limb Bash - A Zombie can tear up its own arm, losing 50% of its current HP at the cost of 1 AP point. The zombie now uses its arm as a weapon, adding 5% to hit and 1 damage to its normal Claw attack. The skill must be used again upon standing.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill, wouldn't having one arm put you at a DISadvantage? --LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep/Change--It's been used in movies, and it's a cool idea. Maybe up the to-hit bonus and get rid of the extra damage.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Savage Slashing - Succesful hand attacks have a 10% chance of causing bleeding. Bleeding has same effects as infection, and survivors can suffer both effects simultaniously.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Hardened skeleton - Zombie has a 25% greater chance of breaking apart a peice of a baracade.
Kill, name as well as skill makes no sense. --LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep/Change--25% is too much, but zeds break down barricades so much they should be able to beef up their skill at it.
    • Relentless Assault - Whenever the Zombie hits a survivor with an attack, it gets +10% to hit with all attacks (not cumulative) against that survivor until a: the survivor dies, b: the Zombie attacks another target or C: the Zombie takes a non-attack action.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
    • Feeding Frenzy - I have a couple of ideas for this one, firstly you could just have a zombie be allowed to make two attacks for 1 AP or, if that's too much of an advantage, if a zombie hits a survivor then it automatically makes a second attack for no AP. Another option is to have a 20% chance of the zombie making a second attack with +10% to that chance if the zombies first attack was successful.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Memories of Life - Zombie is able to open doors to buildings.
    • Morbid Manipulation - Zombie can pick up items and wield all melee weapons. Also gains half the benefits of whatever human melee skills it has.
[Kill]A bit extreme. All weapons? I think more like... just axes and something else... a zombie might use. For example, a zombie would not use a knife. --ClearSeventy 11:08, 29 Sep 2005 (BST)
[Kill]Agreed, I dont think a Zombie would bother with using items when it's claws are just as effective. Zombies with Guns is a bad idea. --Zark the Damned 12:42, 29 Sep 2005 (BST)
[Kill]I agree-- Zombies with guns is a bad idea (though it would be sort of entertaining if the game weren't text based). There should be a seperate zombie class, with its own dis/advantages, that can use items, whereas a normal zombie is unable to. I'll think of a way to work this out and elaborate upon it soon. --Zacharias Cross 03:18, 30 Sep 2005 (BST)
[Kill]Yeah, zombies usually are portrayed as clumsy, or more recently as full of rage, and neither lends itself to ranged combat well. --Juntzing 14:50, 6 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill/Change--Um, did none of you notice this says only melee weapons? Or maybe the comments were just written before an edit to the suggestion. Anyway, I think Zacharias' idea is a better interpretation, so I vote to kill the skill idea.
  • Lurching Gait - Zombie can walk as fast as the living.
    • Muerto Regate - Zombie has a 10% chance of evading an attack that would have otherwise been successful.
[Kill]I'm not sure zombies are the dodgy sort. Any sort of defensive option should really be more along the line of shrugging off damage, yeah? --Juntzing 14:47, 6 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
    • Muertos del Fuego - Zombie is on fire! Gets an extra 50% damage to all attacks, but loses 1HP for every AP spent. Temporary skill: is lost when zombie dies. (Alternate Name: Muertos en Llamas (tr. Dead in Flames)).
[Kill/Change]There's something I don't quite get here... So you're suggesting that a zombie gets a "skill" where they can deliberately light themselves on fire? Do they need to do searches in order to find a fuel can? This just seems a bit obsurd and over complicated. Please clarify. I think it would make more sense for them to simply lose 3 HP every AP spent and deal an additional 40% damage having been lit on fire by a human player, rather than it be a "skill". It should certainly be to your disadvantage to be on fire. --ClearSeventy 10:17, 29 Sep 2005 (BST)
[Kill/Change]I also disagree with the concept of a temporary skill for self igniting Zombies. How about replacing this with explosive Zombies? (Vapours and gasses build up in the Zombie's body - when it dies, they are released and ignite, dealing some damage) --Zark the Damned 12:42, 29 Sep 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill/Change--This shouldn't be deliberate, but possibly would work well tied in with the Fire suggestion on the Other Ideas page.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
    • Ghastly Grapple - Allows the Zombie to make a special grapple attack with a 20% chance of success. A grappled survivor may not take any actions until they spend 3 AP to break free from the grapple. A grappling Zombie may only make bite attacks against the victim (but gains +10% accuracy), until the victim is dead or breaks free.
I was going to suggest something like this, but since it's already up, my idea will have to go under discussions instead; I was going to suggest "Grapple and Bind" which would prevent two-handed use to a successfully grappled survivor, and give +5% to hit for zombie bite attacks (to any zombie; encouraging mobs to form and stay formed -- perhaps a 3XP bonus to the grappling zombie since they're giving up an attack opportunity to help other zombies take down a survivor) Until the option of "Break Free: 5AP" was used by the target, the only thing they could do would be speak and use one-handed weapons (at present: Flare gun, pistol, knife, pipe and bat are candidates for this distinction. This would also encourage survivors to vary their melee weapon selection by making the knife, pipe and bat a more viable choice) --Juntzing 14:45, 6 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
How about the Grappler getting half XP for damage done to the grapplee? Still, I can see that being abused, spend 49 AP and use the last one to grapple a survivor? Maybe a grappling zombie does not regenerate AP as long as the grappled human lives? Skarmory 12:33, 8 Oct 2005 (CET)
There's a fail chance, so I think the idea would be to attempt grapple until successful, then bite their head off :D. Giving XP for actions by other Zombies would be a bit much though, the increased XP from hitting more should cover it. Although maybe give some xp (2 or 3) for a successful grapple. --Zark the Damned 10:49, 11 Oct 2005 (BST)
My point is that a zombie which is grappling a human cannot act further - attacking or similar break the grapple, and as such the zombie loses the XP it could gain by just attacking. Instead, a grappling zombie would receive XP for other zombies who whack at the grappled human until it dies - a healthy human would give 25-35 XP (depends on bodybuilding and whether grappler gets half kill exp too). Even better, attacking a grappled human would only yield 50% (rounded up) xp to the attacker, the other 50% (rounded down) going to the grappler. Thus, the XP gain would be the same, while the attacking zombie would give up sheer XP damage for accuracy. How's that? -Skarmory 14:08, 12 Oct 2005 (BST)
I think you misread the skill description (or someone has removed this bit). If a Zombie is grappling a survivor they can make bite attacks against the victim with an increased chance to hit. This actually increases their XP as bite attacks are the Zombie's most damaging attack. Other Zombies gain no benefit from you grappling (aside from the reduced AP of the survivor post-grapple). -- Zark the Damned 17:27, 12 Oct 2005 (BST)
That's why mine is really a counter-suggestion - the zonmbie is busy holdign the human, and can't attack. Perhaps point grappled foes out somehow? (diff.color? italics?) Thus, it would help promote teamplay amongst zombies. -Skarmory 15:43, 20 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Rising Strike/Vengeance of the Dead - If you stand up around humans make a claw attack at +20% accuracy and +2 damage to represent surprise. (Requires Ankle Grab)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)


  • Lunge - This attack can only be used as a first strike on a human. 4 Damage, 40% base chance to hit
Kill--Too much of an advantage for metagamers...--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--Nice idea, but too open to abuse.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
    • Clawing Lunge - An improvement to the lunge skill, will allow you to add clawing attack bonuses to the normal lunge attack (4+2 or 3, depending on if you have combat skills) Hit percentage does not change.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--Nonexistant without parent skill.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
    • Ambush - +25% chance for lunge to succeed.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--ditto.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • The hord - A zombie whit this skill gets an additional 10% chance to hit barricades per 10 zombie's.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--again, better versions elsewhere.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
    • Out flank - A zombie whit this skill gets an additional 5% chance to hit in combat per 20 zombie's.
Kill, zombies are not known for their tactics. --LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--^--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
      • Surround - A zombie whit this skill gets an additional 15% to hit barricades and an additional 10% hit in combat for every 30 zombie's.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
        • Overwhelm - all combat damage that is dealth to a zombie whit this skill is decreased by 25% per 50 zombie's (rounded up) e.g. a succesfull pistol attack deals 4 damage if fired on a zombie whit this skill in a group of 50 zombie's and deals 3 damage in a group of 100 zombie's, this skill can be used whit a Flak Jacket.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)

Zombie Hunter Skill Tree

Kill/Change With this and Concentration(Below) it would unbalance the game far too much, Perhaps reduce the bonus to +5% and remove Concentration?--The redstar swl 06:07, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep/Change--^--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep--1 damage wouldn't make guns overpowered, since they deal so much already.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)


  • Physical Endurance - An extra +10% chance to hit with melee weapons.


    • Hefty Swing - An extra +1 damage with all melee weapons except the knife.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--See what I said on "Crack Shot?" Well, it would overpower melee.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Purify - You can use the fuel can to burn dead bodies. Chance for a successful burn is 70%. You gain 5 XP per successful burning. Burnt bodies stand up with -5 from their health.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep/Change--5 XP is too much, and should require some other item which with to light the fire, but fuel can needs a use and burning bodies makes sense.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
    • Pyromania - You can use the fuel can to burn zombies. Counts as a melee weapon, -30% to hit to reflect difficulty. You gain 10 XP and deal 10 damage per successful hit.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep/Change--Should need some other item with which to light the fire, and define -30% to hit--what would the base be, then?--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
    • Resistance - You Resist Becoming a Zombie when Dead, 5% Of Still Becoming a Human when you wake up from being Killed
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep/Change--Nerf the percentage a little, otherwise keep.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)

* Tracking - The ability to detect nearby zombies when they cant be seen (just beyond visual extent, inside buildings, hidden ect). See Stench of decay in Other Ideas

Combat Items

Weapons

  • Acid - Weapon, found only in hospitals. May be used on dead bodies, if so, the body stands up at -5 HP. Requires First Aid to find. Can be used in melee combat, random damage to characters, small chance of injuring oneself (splash damage).
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep, should be slightly modified though. --LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep--^--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Rifle - Weapon, 15% base chance to hit, fires 3 bullets per action, base 2-3 damage (random) per bullet, can be shot into adjacent squares when player has the Sniping skill. Holds 18 round clips (multiple of 3). Rifles and rifle clips can only be found inside Forts or Armories. Each bullet has a separate chance to miss, thus when 3 bullets are fired in 1 AP, each individually has 15% to-hit. Each round is affected by bullet proof vests, so instead of doing up to 6-9 damage it can do up to do 3- 6 dammage.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
An alternative to the assault rifle above could be a Sniper Rifle or Hunting Rifle which does high damage, and has high accuracy, but requires two AP to use; one to fire, then one to cock (bolt action). Can be used to fire at targets in adjacent squares at an accuracy penalty, with perhaps damage assigned depending on where the target is hit, as head or body shots do more damage than limb hits (maybe 20%chance of headshot, 40%chance of bodyshot, 10%chance of limbhit, 25%chance of missing entirely, 5%chance of hitting a bystander in the same square). Chances for hits on specific areas can be altered by Marksmanship or other long range rifle skills, as well as items such as Bipod. A Scope could potentially be used to pick out specific areas to aim for.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
An alternative to the Sniper Rifle mentioned above is a single-shot weapon with 10% base accuracy causing 8 damage per sucessful attack. Skills to upgrade would be as with other projectile weapons (meaning two new skills would be needed for it). This can be used as a normal weapon, but with the addition of a scope it can be used to shoot from within a buildings at targets outside, and it can also be used to shoot at targets in adjacent blocks (but only when outdoors) at -5% to accuracy, and at targets two blocks away at -10% to accuracy and dealing only 6 damage. Users with maximum accuracy for the weapon can also fire at targets further away (up to 4 blocks from their current position), but at -20% accuracy and dealing a random number of damage between 1 and 6. The use of a Bipod would add 10% to accuracy on these long-range shots, but perpairing the Bipod would require 2 anaditional AP.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep--the entire rifle idea area. What sort of city--especially, what sort of forts--contain a zillion pistols and shotguns but no rifles? Some of the specific ideas here should be nerfed, but the basic idea is good.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Hunting Shotgun - Holds one shotgun shell instead of two. Base accuracy is set to 15 instead of 5%, but weapon only does 8 damage instead of 10. Otherwise the same as regular shotgun. Can be found in sporting goods stores and in mansions.
Keep--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Combat Shotgun - Holds up to 8 shells, single barrel. 1 AP to fire, 1 AP to reload. Otherwise same as regular shotgun. May require shotgun training skill to use to reflect the professional nature of the weapon.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep--just so long as that 1 AP to reload means per shell, not a a clip of 8.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Combat Knife - Deals 3-4HP and requires Combat Knife Training
How about the option for mounting the combat knife on a long gun bayonet style (many military combat knives have a bayonet mount) for increased damage when using said long gun for melee combat. Bayonet combat could even be a new military skill.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep/Nerf--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Combat Axe - weapon, human only. Requires axe proficiency AND a high level (maybe Zombie Hunter skill?) uses 2AP to attack, do 8 HP damage if hit.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Kick - Weapon, human only. Requires Hand To Hand Combat. 1 AP to use, does 3 damage. Added once you get Hand to hand combat for free. After the bonus from Hand To Hand Combat, no further upgrades.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill, why would a kick do as much damage as an axe? --LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep/Nerf--just 2 damage, but should have OK accuracy.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Torch - Blunt Wepaon, Both Zombie/Human can use This. 3 AP To attack, Does 2 Dmg if Hit. But, Theres a 10% that it Hits other Zombies.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Broken Bottle -Weapon, Human Only. Requires Wine. 1 Ap to use, 3 Dmg. Can also be thrown for 2 Ap, 4 Dmg.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Nitrogen - Weapon, Human only. 5 Ap to use, and Can cause 3 Dmg. But, there is a 5% It will Freeze, Thus it Cannot do anything for 5 Turns. there is also a 5% You will Freeze. Freezed Humans/Zombies cannot be attacked By any weapon cause of the Thick ice.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill, what the hell?--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--not interesting enough for the balance issues and weirdness.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)

Small variety of weapons:

There could be three types of pistols, say a 45 revolver(pretty much the pistol now, six shots and all) and a Beretta or Glock with would have 12 shots but deal 2 or 3 damage instead of 5. and maybe a 357 revolver with would be hard to find ammo for, it would do 7 damage but cost 2 AP to fire(big recoil and all).

Variant on pistol ammunition: Teflon Coated Bullets. Much rarer than normal ammo (about 10% chance a pistol clip will have Teflon rounds), but has a 15% chance of penetrating body armour, causing full damage to an opponent with a Flack Jacket.

Two types of shotguns, double barrel shotgun with would do high damage but cost two shells to load and would fire once. a pump action shotgun with would do less damage(maybe 65% of what the double barrel would do ) and hold 5 shots

and just one rifle with would do less damage then the shotgun but be more accurate and hold about 8 shots but the ammo would be harder to find.


A small chance for melee weapons to break or guns to jam and require AP to clear would make combat with the undead a little more harrowing.

  • Machete - Weapon, Human only. Same base statistics as a Fire Axe, but affected by the Knife Combat skill instead of the Axe Proficiency. Can only be found in the Sporting Goods stores, and thus pretty rare item. -- Madalex 14:27, 22 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • AK - Weapon, Human only. shoots all zombies at ramdom, 5AP to use. Shoots until all zombies in area are dead or clip is empty. 15% chance to hit each zombie at 5HP of damage and clip has 35 rounds.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill, this isn't CS.--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Exotic Weapons-Weapon, Human only. Melee Weapon that deals 4 damage and with a base accuracy of only 5%. Accuracy with them can be increased with Hand to Hand Combat (+15%) and with the skill Antique Aptitude (+15%). They may not seem all that desirable, since they only add a marginal advantage over Axes, but it's their nature that makes them treasures. Exotic Weapons are quite rare and can only be found in Museums (thus giving them a purpose) and the Mall Antique Store. They are ancient weapons like rapiers, broadswords and katanas that you'd normally find on display in such places. The name of the weapon is pretty much irrelevant, as they all act the same. But their rarity and their names would make then in great demand.--SigmaCrow 15:18, 25 Oct 2005 (EST)
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep/change--Knock the Antique Aptitude bonus down to 10%, thus making it 1.2/AP when maxed. Instead of requiring searches, make it some tiny percentage to find automatically on entering a museum. No better than axe+hard to find on purpose=only a few people will have it...which is good, since it adds variety. Plus it's just plain cool.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)

Accessories

  • Scope - Gives an additional +10% chance to hit with the rifle. Requires Sniping skill. Found in Fort Armories and Gun Shops at malls.
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Pistol Upgrade: Pistol Spring - Requires Tool Box
(Only works on the pistol.) When used on the pistol, the pistol deals 5 more HP, BUT lowers accuracy 5% due to "recoil." Can be found in Gun Shops and Police Stations. Is very RARE to prevent cheating. (Cannot be used on a pistol already upgraded with any kind of Pistol Upgrade)--Carfan7 01:03, 25 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Pistol Upgrade: Red Dot Sight - Requires Tool Box
(Only works on the pistol.) When used on the pistol, the pistol increases 5% in accuracy, BUT reduces the damage dealed to 4HP because you are shooting from a farther distance. Can be found only in Gun Shops. Cannot be found in Police Stations due to Police underfunding by the city. Is very RARE to prevent cheating. (Cannot be used on a pistol already upgraded with any kind of Pistol Upgrade)--Carfan7 02:15, 25 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill, you clearly don't know how laser sights work.--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill- And a red dot is not a laser, Its a mini scope.
  • Pistol Upgrade: Magazine Spring - Requires Tool Box
(Only works on the pistol.) When used on the pistol, it shoots 2 rounds simultaneously, BUT lowers accuracy 5-7% (Random) due to recoil. Can be found in Gun Shops or Police Stations. Is very RARE to prevent cheating. (Cannot be used on a pistol already upgraded with any kind of Pistol Upgrade)--Carfan7 03:26, 25 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Shotgun Upgrade: Shell Rack - Requires Tool Box
(Only works on the shotgun.) A rack to place shells on the side of the shotgun. When used on the shotgun, the shotgun can carry 6 shells- 2 chamber and ready to shoot and 4 for reloading, BUT, it takes 1AP to reload 2 shells instead of 1 shell at 1AP. Can be found in Gun Shops and Police Stations. Is REALLY RARE to prevent cheating. (Cannot be used on a shotgun already upgraded with any kind of Shotgun Upgrade EXCEPT FOR the Semi-Automatic Chamber Spring.)--Carfan7 03:26, 25 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill, redundant with combat shotgun. --LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Shotgun Upgrade: Semi-Automatic Chamber Spring - Requires Tool Box
(Only works on the shotgun.) Makes reloading the shotgun cost NO AP. Can only be used after the shotgun is upgraded with the Shell Rack. Can only be found in Gun Shops. Cannot be found in Police Stations due to Police underfunding by the city. Is very RARE to prevent cheating. (Cannot be used on a shotgun unless it has been already upgrade with the Shell Rack.)--Carfan7 03:26, 25 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill, redundant with Speed Load. --LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Shotgun Upgrade: Fibre Optic Sight -Requires Tool Box
(Only works on the shotgun.) Increases accuracy by 5-10% (Random) due to recoil. Can only be found in Gun Shops. Cannot be found in Police Stations due to Police underfunding by the city. Is very RARE to prevent cheating. (Cannot be used on a shotgun already upgraded with any kind of Shotgun Upgrade.) --Carfan7 23:35, 26 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill, increases accuracy due to recoil? wtf? --LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--to all of Carfan's gun upgrades. They're don't really make sense and they overpower the weapons.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Flak Jacket - As we know it, except I believe they should deteriorate and eventually get useless. Skarmory, 13:02, Oct 2 (CET)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep--Realistic, and useful for balance--why should flak jackets be a binary thing that anyone worth their salt has? This way there's some variation, since I 'm pretty sure it means that as you get shot repeatedly the chance of reducing damage drop from 100 to something lower, and keep going down.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Firefighter Helmet - Protects You from Blunt Weapons by 30% Completely. After 100 Dmg, It breaks.
Kill, makes no sense.--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep/Nerf--Make it only 5%/10% (this represents the chance of an attack actually happening to hit your head) and only reduce damage by 1 a la the flak jacket. Also, make it provide partial headshot protection to zeds if they get a helmet the same way they can get FJ's.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)

Ammunition and Other Expendables

  • Hand Grenade - Has a 75% chance to deal 0-20 damage (random) to every character in the square. Can be thrown at barricades to damage them severely with 100% to hit (barricades don't move). Found in Fort Armories.
[Kill]Grenades are definitely a big no-no. It's been mentioned on other pages that any form of AOE attack would be far too hard to balance. --Zark the Damned 11:03, 27 Sep 2005 (BST) How about this: Grenades are very rare, and have a 40% chance of hitting the designated target, and 20% chance of hitting everybody else in the same location, friend or foe. Gets a 20% accuracy bonus to both when inside a building (no place to run). To avoid damage, a survivor would have to use the Marksman skill to throw it from the outside/inside. Zombies with Memories of Life may pull the plug on a grenade, however, THEY are the designated target. Barricades may be targeted with 40% accuracy, and 40% on the user too. Skarmory 17:00, 27 Sep 2005 (CET)
Kill Grenades still have the problem of being hilariously unbalanced in the hands of PKers, especially if they don't care if they die (zombie spy?).McArrowni 28 oct 2005
[Keep]Well, on the one hand, it doesn't really make that much sense that a city with military bases and police stations wouldn't have Grenades, but one would be hardpressed to really find a use for them that doesn't completely unbalance the game. Any item, no matter how rare it is, will eventually be horded by someone until they have an inventory with 49 Grenades in it and then proceed to clear out an entire suburb. The only possible way to have Grenades is if they were not only rare, but actually limited in supply. Like there could only be, maybe, 10 or 20 Grenades in the city at a given time. If one is detonated, then the chance to get another one arises, but at really low odds. With over "100,000 Dead and Rising" playing the game, that would mean only 1 in 10,000 or 5,000 would have a Grenade, stockpiling aside. And characters could be limited to s grenades at a time to further limit stockpiling. Of course, the other option is to completely get rid of them, which for the sake of balance is probably preferable.Wilcox
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--I quite like Wilcox's ideas, but barring them it's gone.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Ammo Can - 10% chance to find in Armory, 5% to find in Police stations, Contains 2-6 Shotgun Shells and 4-10 Pistol Clips (randomized)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep/Nerf--switch those numbers (ie 4-10 shells and 2-6 clips), lower the search percentage to 5% in armories and remove it from police stations and it's an OK idea.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Entrails - Weapon, zombie only, single use, 25% base chance to hit. Does 5AP (not HP) damage to survivors. One given to a zombie standing up.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • Explosive Bullets - Adds 2 damage to shots fired with the pistol, the clip holds 3 explosive bullets.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--LibrarianBrent 06:17, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
[Kill]As I stated in the general Suggestions discussion, drop explosive bullets. It clearly wasn't thought out.--Arathen 04:11, 26 Sep 2005 (BST)
[Kill]Agreed, Explosive Bullets make no sense. --Zark the Damned 11:03, 27 Sep 2005 (BST)
  • Shotgun Slugs - Increases accuracy by 5%, but reduces damage by 2HP because there's no lead balls in the slug, thus, no spread shot. --Carfan7 23:36, 26 Oct 2005 (BST)
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep--I like the idea of a midpoint in damage with the reloading limitations of the shotgun but better accuracy.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
Keep/Change--- Change to -5% or -10% because its just one big bullet and most if not all shotguns don't have rifleing and increase damage/bypass flack vests.--The redstar swl 23:58, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
  • C4 Charge/Plastic Explosive Stuck onto a building and causes massive damage to all units in area (human and zombie) and destroy all barricades. Should do 30-50-ish damage and should be immensly rare, and require Demolitions skill to use. When placed detonator added to inventory, or perhaps it should be time activated.
Kill--Milo 00:03, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)
No...Just no. No matter how rare people will find them and it just won't be fun. Ideas like this come and go all the time, it's just a bad idea.
Kill--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)

General Combat Mechanics

Criticals

  • I'm quite surprised that this suggestion is not really around the various suggestion pages (did a quick scan, apologies if it is already there), but we can have criticals in the game. Criticals are defined as follows:
  • On a "natural" 100% from the Random Number Generator (assuming the system uses a percentile system, 0% to 100%), an attack would cause double damage (or add the damage of the weapon again, depending on what other things are in the works).
  • On a "natural" 0%, an attack would automatically fail and instead deal damage to the attacker instead. This simulates shooting yourself in the foot, a bad chamber explosion, or just plain tripping on the curb and landing on your face.
The failing should only be maybe 1 damage, nothing massive. A waste of an AP is bad enough really.
We probably can tweak the % chance a bit, a 1% Critical may be a bit low. Some ideals in the same vein to help new players is perhaps a Lucky trait/ skill that disables on going to level 2. Lucky can increase the % chance of a critical to maybe 5% either way. Then again, can be exploited easily, but it's food for thought. -- Lynx7725 02:49, 18 Oct 2005 (BST)
There could always be a skill which increases the chance to 2%, the downside would be that the chance to fail also increases.
I think critical hits could make an excellent addition to the "Zombie Hunter" skill set, with a corresponding zombie skill; this, in opposition to giving everybody critical hits all the time. Not knowing how the code for hits currently works, I don't think the dice analogy really works out. The random number generator isn't quantized the same way dice are, certainly. So an implementation should be probably different for UD as opposed to traditional RPG systems.
To sum: Create a high-level "Critical Hit" skill for zombies and humans. When a player with the skill hits a target, there's a chance -- 10%, say -- of doing an extra two points of damage. This makes it a significantly useful skill without being overpowered. furtim 20:32, 25 Oct 2005 (BST)

Defense

  • Presently, a group of humans sitting in a barricaded building is doing just that: sitting. If a horde attacks, unless someone happens to refresh at the right time to notice the barricade level has changed, the humans continue to sit. Fifty armed humans should put up a fight against a horde, right? I propose, for the sake of realism, that humans can set had defense modes, passive stances, something that'll make it more like the movies. Movies and realism in the same sentence? Bear with me. So, without further ado...
  • Sentry/First Watch - A human, or several humans, take turns keeping an eye out for approaching horde. Maybe they're perched out on the roof, maybe just peeking through a window. Their presence alerts the other humans in the building of the approaching danger.
  • Barricade Duty - If alerted by the watch, those on barricade duty spend their AP repairing the barricades as the horde tries to smash them down. You see this in all the old movies. In Night of the Living Dead they're nailing doors to the windows, for instance. This is not without risk.
  • Fire Support - These are the guys standing behind the barricade team, attacking any zombies who attack the team repairing the barricades. They're not there to do damage, they're there to push the zombies back by force.
  • Three basic functions, right? I'm sure a life support duty could be drafted, too, set to use first aid on anyone who falls below 10 HP until the barricades fall... And what about when the barricades do fall? That's when we get into the roleplaying...
  • Run Like Hell - When the barricades fall, people in Run Like Hell mode do just that. They scatter and make for the nearest building they can get into. Panicked.
  • Remember the Alamo - When the barricades fall, people in Hero mode go down swinging. Maybe they'll even push back the attackers. 50 dead humans with full ammo is unrealistic.
  • Now, these modes offer an advantage to humans. A realistic one, but still an advantage. So the drawbacks:
  • Being on watch costs 1AP an hour, effectively halving the AP gain. Furthermore, it makes the sentry visible from the street and marks the building as inhabited. Maybe that'll be a good red herring strategy in the future, if sentries use cell phones to keep a defensive network going. Who knows.
  • Repairing a barricade as zombies are pushing into a building puts you first in the line of fire. And since you're busy, you're not dodging, so the zombie's chance to hit you increases some arbitrary percentile reduced by the current strength of the barricade.
  • New zombie skill: Grab - When attacking a barricade being repaired on the other side, a zombie can, instead of clawing, grab at the barricader. This only does 1 damage (ignores any damage bonuses) but has a small chance (based on the strength of the barricade) to pull the human out onto the street. A new passive skill, Hands from the Grave adds a 10% bonus to pulling out a human if another zombie also has the skill.
  • This is countered by humans on Fire Support duty, who have a chance to knock back a single grabber. If multiple zombies are pulling, it becomes a tug-of-war between Fire Support and the horde.
  • If the barricade is breached, humans who flee have no control over where they flee to, and stop at a nearby building without checking inside. This building might be full of zombies. Humans who stay and fight are also panicked, and will use weapons at random: shotgun, pistol, axe, knife... They will choose one ranged weapon and one melee weapon at random and use those exclusively. And this will cost AP and ammunition like normal.
  • XP gain is an open argument. I'd say half XP or no XP, but the cost to ammo and AP makes me think full XP might be in order.
  • Zombie modes, because turnabout is fair play:
  • Aggro - Automatically attacks any humans who enter the room. Chance to notice the human is accumulates based on how many AP the humans spend. A human passing through might not get noticed (1%), a human standing around tagging other zombies will (1% per zombie adds up).
  • Active horde - When a large crowd of zombies is standing around, and a human starts attacking one, this gives a percentile chance of a counter attack, maybe 1% per zombie in the room, capping at 50%? Afterall, if humans can have defenses, zombies shouldn't stand around while the zombie next to them gets mowed down. They're hungry, too!
  • Shy and Selfish - Zombie is not aggressive, and furthermore tends to avoid the edge of the crowd. If a human's going to start firing shots, it's likely somebody else will get hit instead.
  • Hmm. Okay, that's that. It's raw, add your suggestions and comments below. Also, I think these modes should only be active if the player hasn't been active in the last 30 minutes. You shouldn't find yourself out of AP just because you flipped to the Buy Skills page for a minute.
Keep--to this whole chunk of suggestions. It's probably too complicated to ever happen, but it's a great idea.--SA-TA-EK-Rumisiel 21:14, 29 Oct 2005 (BST)

Somebody Please Archive This

Zombie Hunter's Headshot Discussion

For those who are not aware of what this move does, here is the exact transcript:

"Headshot (If you kill a zombie, it loses 10XP for each level it had. It retains its skills.)"

I have a problem with this skill: Everytime I get close to leveling up, I get headshotted (is that even a word?), causing me to drop back to zero experience points. I've talked to some others, and they agree with me that this skill should be changed or removed. Instead of just filing a complaint, however, I'll include some suggestions.

In Skill Tree format with notes under each one:

1. Headshot (If you successfully hit a zombie, it loses 5 hit points for each level.)

  • This would be a sort of critical attack. The base percentage should be either 5% or 10%, and should not be able to increase above 30% with all skills added.

2. Headshot (If you kill a zombie, it loses 10 experience points.)

  • Not per level.

3. Headshot (If you kill a zombie with a Headshot strike, you gain an extra 10 experience points.)

  • Meaning that the Headshot, as with the first suggestion, would be an extra skill. Same percentages apply.

I'm sure that if you chose one of the above modifications, the gameplay would be more enjoyable by all zombies, especially the higher level ones.

--Zacharias Cross 22:05, 28 Sep 2005 (BST)

I agree, Headshot is still far too powerful even at 10xp per level. No wonder there are so many Survivor players, Zombie players just get frustrated at having 3 days progress lost cause some powergamer took them down with an uber skill. Even when maxed, currently a Zombie will probably only be able to get 75xp per day, tops (assuming both claw skills and vigor for a 50% chance of getting 3xp per attack, and that they don't have to move a hell of a lot to even find a survivor first). More likely it's 30 or so due to all the required movement. Hunter comes along, bang there it all goes.

Get rid of Headshot, and more Zombie players might feel there is a point to playing. --Zark the Damned 20:15, 29 Sep 2005 (BST)

I too have an issue with Headshot. It is really frustrating to see progress wiped out in one go. But it is in character, so I think it should stay, but it needs to be tweaked, maybe to 5XP per level, or add 10AP to get up after death from Headshot.
Alternatively, we can introduce XP penalty for survivor deaths too. Then we can keep Headshot as it is, because every time we kill one of them fleshies, they suffer the same fate as us too. -- Lynx7725 02:55, 18 Oct 2005 (BST)

We really should come up with a list of ways to "balance," ie nerf, Headshot. The clearest way is probably to break down the description into parts and describe how each part can be balanced. ("10 XP" to "5 XP", "per level" to "every other level", etc.) --LouisB3 03:07, 18 Oct 2005 (BST)

Suggested Alternative: Headshot skill gives the survivor the Chance to kill the Zombie in a single shot. This transfers the effect from a negative impact on Zombie, to a positive impact to the survivor - he now has more AP to go after the other Zombies. This would be consistant with other Zombie Worlds, you shoot them in the head, they are instantly dead, move on to the next target. Zombie doesn't loose XP. Survivor doesn't use as much AP. --Zed Stripe 03:29, 18 Oct 2005 (BST)

I like this but instant kill (even on 1% chance) is very very powerful.. how about double damage @ 10% chance(or higher)? Or damage + AP drain, to balance off the Infectious Bite that some Zombies have, and the Ankle Grab AP-saver. -- Lynx7725 06:24, 18 Oct 2005 (BST)

I like the AP drain idea... not only is it good because it gets gives some kind of balance against ankle grab, but it makes it a valid skill again. Right now, this skill is useless on the highest level zombies who aren't trying to get any more skills, and cruel to the ones under them who are given huge penalties for getting killed. Maybe if it makes it 5AP to stand up, instead of 1AP for ankle grabbers? Or... I dunno, 11 for non? (Don't want to make it too tough on lower levels) Shadowstar 11:14, 20 Oct 2005 (BST)

Melee Weapon Discussion

It looks like there's been something of a renewed interest in improving Melee weapons. Some of you may have noted that I was rather vocal previously about this, so I thought I'd place a brainstorming section on this page away from the full Discussion page (mainly because Melee weapons, being Survivor territory, and most likely to be placed on the Military Tree, is probably a very low priority for people at the moment).

So, I'll give my thoughts I've had through the various iterations:

  • Melee weapons should be identifiably different.
  • Melee weapons under no circumnstances should approach Firearms for damage. Melee weapons have numerous advantages (like not needing ammunition), no need to provide them with any more. I think the Fire Axe, at 3 damage, is probably at maximum melee damage - no weapon should exceed this.
  • Melee weapons, while being identifiably different, should have about the same impact. If we are serious about improving Melee weapons, then we should ensure that there is no perfect winner, and that weapon selection should be a strategic choice that can have multiple winners.
    • In a related vein, I take back my suggestions regarding punching. Punching should be treated somewhat differently from other Melee Weapons, as all players have it by default, do not need to search for one, and under no circumnstances can be taken away from you, regardless of how the game evolves from this point. Punch, I think, should be demonstrably worse than other Melee weapons, although perhaps not entirely useless if one is willing to spend the XP.

Also, if we're going to work on Melee weapons, there should be some strategy in choosing which Melee weapons you're going to take. The Zombie attacks are a good example - While zombie Hand attacks deal the most damage when fully upgraded, The Bite attacks have special features that go beyond damage - they can heal the Zombie, and they can cause Infection - there is a non-trivial choice about what type of attack should be used, and more importantly, both can be used without penalty. I think this is a philosophy that should be taken in mind when looking at Melee weapons. Among other things, having different damage:to hit ratios is a nice way of doing this, but there's always issues with this.

Finally, I make the assumption that all Melee attacks are likely to be placed under Hand-to-Hand Combat. The Military Tree seems to be the one-stop place for all Combat skills, and since this is mostly blue-sky, I don't think we need worry about overloading the Military Tree. -- Odd Starter 02:17, 29 Sep 2005 (BST)

To go along with your first point, there needs to be more differentiation between the available weapons. Pipes & bats are identical, and the crowbar is 5% lower accuracy, that's just not enough. I would like to see the weapons spread out better, as follows:
  • Fist - hit chance 10%, damage 1 (no change)
  • Knife - hit chance 10%, damage 2 (no change)
  • Bat - hit chance 15%, damage 1 (gains 5% to hit, loses 1 to damage, benefits from Heavy Strike, see below)
  • Length of Pipe - 10%, damage 2 (no change, but gains from Heavy Strike)
  • Crowbar - 5%, damage 3 (+1 to damage, and can gain from Heavy Strike)
  • Fireaxe - 5%, damage 4 (loses 5% to hit, gains 1 to damage)
Now, the skill Hand to Hand Combat adds 15% to accuracy with melee weapons. The only difference between Knife & the Pipe is that the Knife has a follow-on skill for increased accuracy, and I'd leave it like that. However, also add a new skill "Heavy Strike", adds 1 point of damage to Bat, Pipe, and Crowbar (and debatable, the Axe). It doesn't apply to knife or fist because those weapons don't benefit from leverage and power to generate damage. Also, add another new skill, Advanced Hand to Hand Combat - stacks another 10% hit chance on top of all melee weapons. Another skill for Fist Proficiency can add 15% to Fist attacks. Finally, it would be nice to have a Sword, found only in Museums and maybe Malls (sporting goods store). Base hit 10%, damage 3 (the current values for fire ax). Benefits from the "Hand to Hand Combat" skill boosts, and also has a separate proficiency for another 15% hit chance, but does not benefit from Heavy Strike. --Dogbarian 17:41, 29 Sep 2005 (BST)
My think that the weapons can stay identical in stats - but when the person is skilled up, they should have identifiable differences (this is reasonably acceptable from both a reality and a game perspective - In reality, if you're untrained, one weapon's as good as another, and in game, this provides some incentive for people to specialise in a specific weapon, to take full advantage of it). My personal feel for what each weapon's "personality" should be is:
  • Punch - Lowest Damage, Lower-than-average %. Last-resort attack.
  • Knife - Second Lowest Damage, Highest % hit.
  • Axe - Highest Damage, Low % hit.
  • Bat - Middle-of-the-road weapon. Medium damage, Medium % hit.
  • Pipe - Improvised Weapon - Low Damage, low % hit, possibly special effect.
  • Crowbar - Heavy Club, in effect - Medium to high Damage, Medium to low % hit.
My preference was that each weapon had it's own skill set, but thinking about it, it may be more useful to build up the tree with slightly less regular limbs. Have the clubs (ie blunt weapons) have a tree to themselves, and have high-level skills focusing on each of the blunt weapons in turn. -- Odd Starter 03:06, 30 Sep 2005 (BST)

What? No chainsaw?

How could it be nobody has suggested a chainsaw as a weapon? SchmuckyTheCat 05:54, 7 Oct 2005 (BST)

Most of us are fairly certain it's on the cards - the gas tanks in the game are clearly meant to have some purpose, and we expect that Kevan's got plenty of plans for them. So, no need to suggest them, since Kevan's probably got it all under control :) -- Odd Starter 09:32, 7 Oct 2005 (BST)