[Gamemode Suggestion] Zombie

[JKJudgeX]

So, gamemode or random event... I searched the forums for a "zombie" mode suggestion and didn't find anything, so, I figured I'd give it a quick go...

I'd like to see a mode or event where someone becomes a zombie that can bite people and they turn into zombies 5-10 minutes later or upon death. They should be slow, but really hard to kill with energy weapons, but a bullet or knife to the brain does the trick?

They should be able to eventually beat down airlocks, but unable to use tools or weapons, and should occasionally get back up after being "killed". Munching on a downed victim or raw meat/body parts could make them a little faster for a short time, and after extended feeding should gib the victim for that sweet oldschool gut-munching gore effect (but prevent re-animation of this guy)... but this should require multiple feedings and not something that one zombie does to a victim - a way of stopping it from spreading too fast. Too much zombie blood getting on you maybe has a chance to convert you or something to prevent too much anti-zombie melee heroism. Maybe throw in a couple of zombie abilities like a short sprint for a few squares, or a special grab that's a bit harder to get out of than normal.

I dunno, I haven't thought too much into it so if anybody has any cool ideas for making this more workable within SS13, it's something I'd like to see happen from time to time, as I feel like Aurora is a great place for a zombie apocalypse scenario with all the maintenance and corridors and places for zombies to hide, and the HRP would create some pretty good zombie-movie inspired drama, "No, I wasn't bitten, I swear, let me in!" and "The ERT is killing everyone and/or setting off the nuke omg".

I'm suggesting this because it seems like the rotation could use a little something extra, as we seem to hit certain low-involvement modes a bit too frequently. I recognize that it would be a little heavy on development side, as there would have to be some spriting done or something so we could see who was a zombie.

[LanceLynxx]

I like this idea. can add both action and RP at the same time, the IC explanation could be a viral mutation or some sort of thing like that / classic resident evil.

Could even be a midround rare random event as a disease, too.

I like the idea, and it isn't lore-breaking or out of place in the setting of aurora

[Zundy]

Woah, the elevator almost turned you into a Jill sandwich.

I could get behind it. Link it to black kois and thrown in "mutated forms" and it mite b cool.

[Saudus]

Can really get behind the idea. Making it some very special type of kois would be cool too. I think there are some things that should be discussed to see what people think is best.

 

2. Fast or slow zombies?
   
   This would determine a lot how they fight and how to fight them, also crucial to decide how much health/resistance/vulnerability they have.
4. Level of infectability
   
   Is a bite 100% infection chance? Is it reduced or eliminated by armor? Is the bite just one of their attacks and others, say scratch, has a much lower or no infection chance?
   
   Does the zombie blood/guts have a chance to infect people? If it can is it determined when instantly applied to you or is it based on how long it remains on you?
   
6. Existing knowledge of the pathogen
   
   Is it entirely unknown? Is it fairly common knowledge among xenobiologists/xenobotanists? Does command have a "open in case of black kois zombie pathogen" folder which contains info on the pathogen but is secret except to the Captain and possibly IAA/some command members/all command members? Do the ERT know about the pathogen?
   
8. How it starts
   
   Is it a random event similar to random new vampires or is it a regular round antag? If it is regular, how long before they turn into zombies? Do they know ICly they are about to turn into a zombie? Will they be a regular infected when turned or like a "pure-strain" zombie which is a bit stronger?
   
10. Zombie progression?
    
    Do zombies progress in some way as they eat people? Do they regenerate health passively, when they eat or not at all? Do they gather points in some way that gives access to minor mutations? What would such mutations be? Would it be like a ling purchasing powers freely from all available ones or more like buying into a "path"? Would it change their looks in some way?
    

 

My answers to the questions would be like this.

2. I think they should be almost regular speed. Maybe like a 0.7-0.9 modifier to their speed. No idea on health etc tbh.
4. I think it'd be more fun if their attacks weren't 100% infectious, if armor lowered the chance, and if the extreme early stage of the infection was treatable.
   
   Something like first 2min ish dunk down some spaceacillin/anti rad medicine/special medicine for only this purpose with formula inside the command "open in case of pathogen" folder and you're fine, but don't really know you're fine but just don't turn.
   
   I would also like to see maybe a few different attacks. Whether they are chosen by RNG or stances would be whichever. Say bite/scratch/punch. Where bite has a very high infection chance, scratch a moderate and punch basically no chance.
   
   I don't think the blood/gore should be infectious. It would be nice, but best to not put too many features into it from the start so it is much more manageable to make? Can always add onto it later.
   
6. I think there should be a "open in case of black kois pathogen" that at least the captain knows about. Inside there'd be maybe some fluff info about it but mostly some info on how to fight it, how it infects etc. I would say the IAA and RD should know about it too, but not the most important.
   
8. I think they should be round start antags who know they will turn. There'd be a random timer between say 10-20 minutes or so and if there are multiple round start infected they turn quite close to each other time-wise. It might also be prudent to make them a bit stronger than general zombies to make sure the infection has a better chance to get going.
   
10. Whilst this might be fun I don't want to cram too much into a suggestion to make it too big and complex, so don't think it should be included at start (I mean, devs who decide they want to make it shouldn't feel like they have to at least). I do think zombies should heal by eating however. Chewing a bunch of times on a corpse and waiting a bit should heal at least some moderate injuries. Also serves as a good motivator for zombie players to actually eat some people rather than turning.
    

[Bygonehero]

There were some concepts for an unused final part of the Black Kois infection that would see players transformed into more permanent zombie-like Liidra puppets, but ultimately it undermined the roleplay of the game. Sure, in lore the infection can be fairly protracted with hoards of infected roaming around doing the Liidras bidding. The problem arose as to how to package the crisis that we wanted to tell in the game in the span of 2 hours, while still retaining the core theme. This meant making black kois fairly lethal, though the most recent update has changed its infection rate since the last major spread.

As for your idea, I've made a concept

1-3 players are chosen as Lii'dra agents that start on a ship away from the station. They are equipped with gear to organize and attack the station, with their main and most devastating weapon being black kois. The selection of this game mode by secret or direct vote would unlock the true final stage that we concepted, allowing the infected to live with the infection until they are killed by an outside force. The Lii'dras objective is to gather enough resources to build a hive-net relay. This would require trivial sprites, but it would be their objective. The further along the relay is the more powerful the connection, and thus control over the infected become.

The Elyrans took to calling the infected the Nasu Daeva, or just Nasu. The Nasu could slowly amass biomass from the kois growing upon themselves after reaching the final stage, allowing evolution into one of three archetypes.(Tank/Healer/Damage) The hive-net relay can slow or increase the rate of biomass growth, making it an important target to the crew to perhaps subvert it to impede the infected.

This is ultimately a concept, and it would require a bit more fleshing out beyond what I have written. Its also important to note that black kois DOES NOT reanimate the dead.

[UnknownMurder]

Did someone say... ZOMBIES!? All my yes for this game mode suggestion.

 

 

Today's my first day as a Security Officer. I'm arriving at N.S.S. Aurora Station via Crew Transfer Shuttle. I wonder how other people are like. I arrived at the station, everything seems normal but no one's talking over the communications. I stumble upon an unconscious person who's wearing an ID of Willow Harper. I approached her and asked if she was okay, but she wasn't responding. Just lying face flat on the floor then I noticed there was blood. I radio in Security Channel, no one's responding... I walked past the security checkpoint and notice people were walking slowly to move, blood dripping from the lip down to the floor. Suddenly, the woman from earlier grabbed my leg! OH NO! Tried to bite my leg! I run back to Security Checkpoint and went up the ladder and I met head of security named Marvin Branagh. He gave me his key card and told me to get out of here. Along the trail, I met Azza Wong, Drea Redfield, and so on. Man, these red herbs are so good.

Since you got me very eager and I'd like to throw in my interests to see out of this suggestion by answering [mention]Saudus[/mention]'s question. I'd love to see a slow-medium speed zombie .I'd prefer a bite on arm/leg that you're automatically infected unless you cure or amputate it but it progresses slow. Although, a bite in the neck, chest, groin would obviously need to find a cure ASAP. A scratch would hardly be an infection as you're just scratching. Movies just outright says scratching can also get you infected. As for the existence of zombie virus, it should be very unknown to start with. Most zombie viruses are unknown at start until it is discovered like Umbrella Corporation or Walking Dead's season 1 research building. How it starts? I don't mind how it starts in beginning of game mode whether it be "I know I got bitten, stay away from me." or "Uh... I don't feel so well... I need to see a doctor.", either those I don't mind. Although, I'm concerned about Zombie Progression as you stated because obviously we all know zombies from movies, video games, tv shows, comics, blah blah. Command or specific people can outright say, "Kill them, we can just clone them later." and eventually move to ruin the fun.

[UnknownMurder]

[UnknownMurder]

[Conspiir]

There was a rev round recently that used this idea. It started with Richter supposedly eating some interesting fungus in Mendell and suddenly *everyone was fighting for survival* with gas masks and "spores" everywhere. Made even better by the lack of an engine set up, survivors eventually found those that perished (seeing Preston in a voidsuit flat on his face on the asteroid telecomms is seared in my brain forever) and made their way to the shuttle. … That was commandeered by Faysal.

But it didn't matter, because all of the ODIN and Tau Ceti were suffering the same fate.

I'd like to see this happen again, perhaps even more in-depth. I've heard Alb's got some zomboon sprites for something like this.

[Arrow768]

I am going to consider this implemented as admins have the ability to spawn that.

But it will be kept admin-spawn-only right now due to the well "very volitile nature" of that gamemode