What if there was a zombie game with no zombies?
- Thread starter Swarles
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Is everyone forgetting that they actually have monsters in A
D? Sparse as they are there are still monsters.
D? Sparse as they are there are still monsters.
I would think that the whole zombie part is misleading and say there was a much scarier monster in the game instead.
There's a crucial element lacking from the idea: interaction.
Games are about the interaction, especially with major plot elements. As presented, while the players are given something to do, it's resource management only of what amounts to daily chores. In a scenario such as this a player's mostly going to want opportunities to explore and understand what's going on, even though they'll want to keep themselves safe along the way. From what is offered in the original post, there's insubstantial risk and meaningless reward, might as well just be a psychological thriller movie.
It could work as a puzzle game; escaping from an impending, overwhelming horror. Even if the player isn't going to see themselves mowed down by the zombie horde, they still know it's right on their heels and failure to achieve timely objectives results in a loss condition. From this framework, give the player opportunities to uncover more of the backstory by choosing more difficult, optional paths.
Games are about the interaction, especially with major plot elements. As presented, while the players are given something to do, it's resource management only of what amounts to daily chores. In a scenario such as this a player's mostly going to want opportunities to explore and understand what's going on, even though they'll want to keep themselves safe along the way. From what is offered in the original post, there's insubstantial risk and meaningless reward, might as well just be a psychological thriller movie.
It could work as a puzzle game; escaping from an impending, overwhelming horror. Even if the player isn't going to see themselves mowed down by the zombie horde, they still know it's right on their heels and failure to achieve timely objectives results in a loss condition. From this framework, give the player opportunities to uncover more of the backstory by choosing more difficult, optional paths.
or possibly show the dynamic between the people in the group and have fights break out over decisions that you have to make. think the walking dead.Lem0nade Inlay said:
The idea could work, but only if players are convince they will be attacked. Which is hard to do. However, it?s a better idea than Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, which only attacked you when the world froze over. That game actually seems scary until you learned you were completely safe when the world not frozen over. Which takes it happening one time to learn.
So how can you keep a person guessing there will be an attack without them thinking they are always safe? Well, you'd have to attack/kill them at least once. And it needs to be out of no where, with clicks similar to the false ones the game is full of. And ideally, it needs to be random. That is, there are X places in the game the player may get attacked/killed, or perhaps players need to keep playing until they trigger an attack randomly.
Now how can you do it without showing them at all? Well, people are as scary as monsters. Imagine having a zombie fortification you need to keep together, and things keep getting broken or shifted in it. Imagine being thrown outside and trying to find a way back in before the zombies arrive. There are a lot of ways to make things seem urgent without actually showing anything.
But. . .if the player is never in danger, they'll start noticing. You got to hit them back, even if you just knock the player out form behind and have them dragged to a zombie den and are force to crawl out.
So how can you keep a person guessing there will be an attack without them thinking they are always safe? Well, you'd have to attack/kill them at least once. And it needs to be out of no where, with clicks similar to the false ones the game is full of. And ideally, it needs to be random. That is, there are X places in the game the player may get attacked/killed, or perhaps players need to keep playing until they trigger an attack randomly.
Now how can you do it without showing them at all? Well, people are as scary as monsters. Imagine having a zombie fortification you need to keep together, and things keep getting broken or shifted in it. Imagine being thrown outside and trying to find a way back in before the zombies arrive. There are a lot of ways to make things seem urgent without actually showing anything.
But. . .if the player is never in danger, they'll start noticing. You got to hit them back, even if you just knock the player out form behind and have them dragged to a zombie den and are force to crawl out.
Entertainment value?
It's a survival horror game with NO TENSION. Figure out there's no zombies (you have to say that, or people will be PISSED). It's no longer survival horror or a zombie bus, it's Desert Bus with moaning. Not something you should be proud of making.
And without zombies, a zombie game is just..a game. There are better survival games with an ACTUAL reason for tension. Turn off the moaning, and the only challenge is opening a bottle of water. I'm scared. Those caps will beat you up.
It's a survival horror game with NO TENSION. Figure out there's no zombies (you have to say that, or people will be PISSED). It's no longer survival horror or a zombie bus, it's Desert Bus with moaning. Not something you should be proud of making.
And without zombies, a zombie game is just..a game. There are better survival games with an ACTUAL reason for tension. Turn off the moaning, and the only challenge is opening a bottle of water. I'm scared. Those caps will beat you up.
If you would have other living dangers, no zombies, but maybe looters and raiders and the like pop up every once in a while. You'd also have to throw in a LOT of environmental challenges/puzzles/dangers to keep it interesting. You'd also have to find a way to somehow keep the player thinking he's going to actually see some zombies. Though the Internet might ruin this. Plus great writing, a deep atmosphere, a breathtaking story, and tremendous characters (that it?). And I think at least at the end you'd have to throw in zombies as a final challenge, if for nothing else than as a big F-U to all the players who thought they weren't going to ever actually see zombies.
Personally, I don't think any AAA studios would fund it, but it might work as an Indie project.
Personally, I don't think any AAA studios would fund it, but it might work as an Indie project.
It seems like a pretty suspenseful game if it's about survival and suspense. However, you'd have to have something like environmental dangers or puzzles that have to be solved Resident Evil style, otherwise it'd just be too boring to complete.
yeah, But amnesia the dark decent had enemies that attacked and killed you. Basically this sounds like you're playing a game about walking and it would test your nerves and heart just because you dont know when the Zombies would attack you, leading to either a heart attack or just you beating the game and not having done anything, leading to a huge let down.killcheese said:
OT: There's just no challenge. Like I said above, the only thing this would do is test your nerves and see if you are able to play chicken with the game, waiting to see who blinks first.
I think it could be great.
The immersion would have to be complete, the soundtrack stellar, the graphics unbelievable and the story compelling.
I really don't think you need something to jump out and kill you to make a game a challenge, but it would have to have a better challenge than simply staying alive. A time limit, sanity, starvation, heat, disease.
Trapped in a city littered with dead bodies, utterly alone.
A story tied together by radio messages, written notes and visuals which do a great job of relaying the destruction and death, but still leave the imagination open.
Maybe not so much a zombie game, but rather wondering, What the hell happened, and trying to find out.
Imagine realizing that it's only the continent you are on that's been decimated, and the last group of survivors is leaving. You have a glimmer of hope, but you have to reach them in time.
The game would have to be shortish, but could still have real gameplay elements.
As you are alone for too long, sanity might start to slip, including hallucinations, such as glimpses of monsters, shades, shadows and sounds.
Potential challenges to overcome, dealing with hordes of rats, drawn by the decaying bodies. Getting bitten by a snake, having to survive while feverish and poisoned. Finding clean water, transportation, making your way across a ravaged state.
Finally reaching the rendezvous point, only to find all the survivors dead, or long gone.
I'd play that... or rather, it might make a better book.
The immersion would have to be complete, the soundtrack stellar, the graphics unbelievable and the story compelling.
I really don't think you need something to jump out and kill you to make a game a challenge, but it would have to have a better challenge than simply staying alive. A time limit, sanity, starvation, heat, disease.
Trapped in a city littered with dead bodies, utterly alone.
A story tied together by radio messages, written notes and visuals which do a great job of relaying the destruction and death, but still leave the imagination open.
Maybe not so much a zombie game, but rather wondering, What the hell happened, and trying to find out.
Imagine realizing that it's only the continent you are on that's been decimated, and the last group of survivors is leaving. You have a glimmer of hope, but you have to reach them in time.
The game would have to be shortish, but could still have real gameplay elements.
As you are alone for too long, sanity might start to slip, including hallucinations, such as glimpses of monsters, shades, shadows and sounds.
Potential challenges to overcome, dealing with hordes of rats, drawn by the decaying bodies. Getting bitten by a snake, having to survive while feverish and poisoned. Finding clean water, transportation, making your way across a ravaged state.
Finally reaching the rendezvous point, only to find all the survivors dead, or long gone.
I'd play that... or rather, it might make a better book.