Zombie Survival MMO?

[ultracheeser]

Think about that. Maybe sometime in the near future, we'll see a zombie MMO, set in a huge interactive, zombie infested city where you and 20 other people have to gather supplies, ammo, and hunker down where ever you can until help arrives. Or maybe you have to get to the extraction point.

How would you do it?

Maybe 10-20 people spread over the city with a couple NPC's per server. not hundreds of players. It would be too easy.

 

[SharPhoe]

Like a larger-scale, more extensive L4D? I'd play it.

EDIT: Oh, HOW would I do it? Um... well...
...
Like a larger-scale, more extensive L4D.

 

[vamp rocks]

thers already like.... a few of these bouncin round the interweb... some are pretty fun... tho i would like to see a properly made one... would be pretty cool... like L4D.. but.... not.. lol

 

[Ganado_Headshot]

Sounds cool. I've been waiting for a game just like that.

 

[masher]

That sounds interesting. I'd give it a try.

 

[Radeonx]

Like a larger-scale, more extensive L4D? I'd play it.

EDIT: Oh, HOW would I do it? Um... well...
...
Like a larger-scale, more extensive L4D.

The only problem is that it would end up being hundreds of survivors against an army of zombies...but, I guess a large scale, more extensive L4D would be fun.

 

[Rensenhito]

As long as they didn't make it into Hellgate London, then hell yes I'd try it. Since everyone's saying "make it like L4D," why not just make it an L4D MMO?

 

[Weil]

As long as it includes flamethrows.

You can not have a zombie game w-
Oh right L4D.

How 'bout we just go with; You can not have a zombie game without a way of burning said zombies.

 

[Dogstile]

how about left 4 dead, but with character skills, such as radioman or advanced barricader, ect

so when you wanted to go deep into the city, to look for rarer supplies, you may start getting overrun. you run into a store and makeshift barricade the door. you run upstairs while the guys downstairs quickly look whatever ammo they can find while you stack things next to the door, your radioman is setting up a generator and a portable radio and starts broadcasting.

seconds later you hear a scream and your friend is dragged upstairs by the medic while the fighters keep the infected off them while retreating. they get inside and you all pitch in to barricade the door.

yes, that would be epic

 

[Flying-Emu]

As long as it's actually survival. As in, I don't get to pack an M16 with 500 rounds alongside a pair of pistols that seemingly kill ANYTHING.

So, essentially, the polar opposite of Left 4 Dead. You know, actually having to survive like you would in a real zombie apocalypse.

 

[BonsaiK]

Zombie survival works well for an FPS with a tightly-scripted story like L4D, but not for an open-ended MMORPG. Here's why:

1. If help arrives, the game is over.
2. If you get to the extraction point, the game is over.
3. If help doesn't arrive, and you don't get to the extraction point, the game is over (eventually).

In other words, it's the same reason why tactical FPS doesn't work as an MMORPG. There are set fixed objectives dictated by the plot, you either complete them or you don't, and then the game is over. To make Zombies work in an MMORPG you would have to change the plot significantly so it was more open. But then you don't actually have a Zombie Survival game anymore, all you have is "Zombies in an MMORPG" and that's a different ball game to what you're after, and one which has been done before many times (most fantasy RPGs have a graveyard with Zombies somewhere).

 

[ducttapestranger]

I'd think it would be kind of hard to create a zombie survival game where lots of people pop in and out constantly, so...

16-64 people in a server, different locations depending on the size.

Different ways to end the game as well, such as managing to get out of a city and into an escape boat (not a rescue), or fending off zombies until support arrives, either military or other survivors with military hardware.

Average stats for everyone with an option to have one boosted stat. Stats are things like patching someone up, creating traps easily, gun skills, etc.


Might be fun, might be tedious.

 

[Sneaklemming]

yes yes yes yes and yes

I was thinking about this on the train today- and the only way to work it would be to have a persistent gameworld/ mobile trade hubs and a MASSIVE landmass - to make the game seem like ts sparse

 

[meone007]

Zombie survival works well for an FPS with a tightly-scripted story like L4D, but not for an open-ended MMORPG. Here's why:

1. If help arrives, the game is over.
2. If you get to the extraction point, the game is over.
3. If help doesn't arrive, and you don't get to the extraction point, the game is over (eventually).

In other words, it's the same reason why tactical FPS doesn't work as an MMORPG. There are set fixed objectives dictated by the plot, you either complete them or you don't, and then the game is over. To make Zombies work in an MMORPG you would have to change the plot significantly so it was more open. But then you don't actually have a Zombie Survival game anymore, all you have is "Zombies in an MMORPG" and that's a different ball game to what you're after, and one which has been done before many times (most fantasy RPGs have a graveyard with Zombies somewhere).

this isn't completely true. What if there are no extraction points? Instead, you have to find food and water, a safe shelter, loot for ammo or melee weapons. Perhaps a mechanic that gives you a time limit after being bit to make it to an antidote, produced at some lab over run by zombies, hightening the urgency to get there. No levels or skills, just wits I see it working pretty well

 

[Sneaklemming]

As long as it's actually survival. As in, I don't get to pack an M16 with 500 rounds alongside a pair of pistols that seemingly kill ANYTHING.

So, essentially, the polar opposite of Left 4 Dead. You know, actually having to survive like you would in a real zombie apocalypse.

I suppose it'd have to have other arbitrary rules too- like id you wouldnt be able to move and shoot, and you'd have to combine random stuff into other stuff, and solve puzzles and get keys etc.

-'like you would in a real zombie apocalypse'

Honestly Emu; if you arent referring to a resi evil game, then ignore my post, read this instead:
Survival to me means the stuff thats added to Stalker or Fallout3 and yes, those game elements should make it into any apocalyptic game.

 

[Deleric]

I don't know how Massive it could be without a bunch of guys just farming creepspawns. I like zombies because the odds are against you. They're more numerous, and you aren't supposed win, just survive.

 

[Flying-Emu]

I suppose it'd have to have other arbitrary rules too- like id you wouldnt be able to move and shoot, and you'd have to combine random stuff into other stuff, and solve puzzles and get keys etc.

-'like you would in a real zombie apocalypse'

Honestly Emu; if you arent referring to a resi evil game, then ignore my post, read this instead:
Survival to me means the stuff thats added to Stalker or Fallout3 and yes, those game elements should make it into any apocalyptic game.

Resi is not survival, it's action-horror. More action than horror. There really aren't any survival games besides Survival Kids (GBA) and the Lost in Blue series. If a game has A) A "needs" meter (such as food, water, etc) and B) doesn't have ammo coming out the yin-yang, it's a survival game.

I can't STAND these games that claim to be survival, yet chuck ammo at you like fuggin' candy. When you're REALLY trying to survive, you learn to run the fuck away.

One reason why Silent Hill holds a special place in my heart; you have to run away if you expect to survive.

 

[BonsaiK]

Zombie survival works well for an FPS with a tightly-scripted story like L4D, but not for an open-ended MMORPG. Here's why:

1. If help arrives, the game is over.
2. If you get to the extraction point, the game is over.
3. If help doesn't arrive, and you don't get to the extraction point, the game is over (eventually).

In other words, it's the same reason why tactical FPS doesn't work as an MMORPG. There are set fixed objectives dictated by the plot, you either complete them or you don't, and then the game is over. To make Zombies work in an MMORPG you would have to change the plot significantly so it was more open. But then you don't actually have a Zombie Survival game anymore, all you have is "Zombies in an MMORPG" and that's a different ball game to what you're after, and one which has been done before many times (most fantasy RPGs have a graveyard with Zombies somewhere).

this isn't completely true. What if there are no extraction points? Instead, you have to find food and water, a safe shelter, loot for ammo or melee weapons. Perhaps a mechanic that gives you a time limit after being bit to make it to an antidote, produced at some lab over run by zombies, hightening the urgency to get there. No levels or skills, just wits I see it working pretty well

But assuming that you do find all those things, what then?

In the film Dawn Of The Dead, the characters find all these things in a shopping centre. Then they ask themselves the same question - "what now?". The sheer pointlessness of their existence makes them seek somewhere outside of their safe haven where zombies don't exist, an "extraction point" if you will.

Zombie Survival has one objective - to ensure survival. If you can't ensure survival, because the game mechanics don't allow it by not allowing yourself to either completely wipe out all the zombies or extract yourself from the area, then failure is inevitable. You can't win the game, so the objective then becomes to stall defeat for as long as possible. Which then begs the question "why wouldn't my character just shoot him/herself at the start, rather than be eaten by zombies at some point down the track?". It becomes a game as pointless as the existence of the characters. If you can't win, you have only one option left which is to lose. If you can only lose, why play?