A new start...

[TheWraithPlayer]

On the confirmed "no" list was starting BEFORE zombies, which I admit had me a little bummed, as I'd always wanted to be able to rob my neighbors in the night and max out the credit cards in preparation of the impending doom that is the apocalypse. Here is an idea that I personally find within the okay range.

 

You start up a new game in the mode "The Beginning". It starts out with a few dozen zombies scattered around the map, and a crap load of npcs (this idea would apply to a way later build). The npcs live in houses, go to work (essentially just sit around at a store) and do various simple things, all the while the zombies are infecting npcs.

"But wouldn't the hoard of npcs arm themselves with pitchforks and torches?" You say. What I suggest is a "Reality meter". Different levels would be for different npcs, but essentially they wouldn't believe in zombies until either A) a certain amount of time has passed or B) they have had a close call with a zombie. This would lead to the innocent townsfolk not knowing what hit them until too late.

This is just a skeleton of an idea, but this is what I have. Let me know what you think, and as always, thanks for reading.

[MaxD12]

I think that this mode will look really good together with the game lore. As i know,in canon game modes like survival and first week now we start from day 3 of Knox Infection outbreak. But in non-canon"the initial infection" mode  there is no news about current situation on radio and TV,at least in first day.And considering this,your suggested game mode can be the less hardcore alternative  to the survival mode.

For example-your character start the game in first day of outbreak.As you mentioned,there is many NPC,but first zombies have already appeared,and now panic is already spreading out. First official news says to stay at home and citizens first follow them,but as you say,then they gradually begin to understand that they are doomed...some survivors try to escape  the quarantine area with their cars and suplies,but it's' too late.And yes,there is really good opportunity for looting in earliest days of outbreak.You can grab more items in first days of this mode than in  compared of survival mode because in 1-2 days of Knox event some people are also engage in robbery. But police might stop them,it just random.

Maybe this game mode can be something like story or else.It remotely similar to old PZ Baldspot and Kate story when there were also survivors and news of infection outbreak.Or something sort of "advanced" initial infection mode...