Zombies using weapons/tools

[The Wanderer]

Hi! Today I was watching Night of the Living Dead and I realized that zombies possess a limited capacity for understanding, within the universe of films of Romero(In every movie).


So i thought this suggestion:


Zombies with the ability to use weapons and other tools to attack, but in a primitive way. This would give them the ability to (for example), break a glass using a rock, or attack the character awkwardly swinging a bat/crowbar/etc   

Just like this:

Obviously the zombies with weapons / tools create more damage by attacking a target.

PD:I apologize if I make grammatical or spelling errors, I speak Spanish and I'm really bad when it comes to English   


 

[Guest]

I've never been a fan of the concept. From unceasing force seeking flesh with the bare hands, to tool using people whom are simply hungry and a bit down on their luck, mentally.

[JensTheViking]

No.

Just NO.

 

If you want zed running around using whatever tools/weapons/etc then choose another game that has that implemented already. I despise the tv series Walking Dead for it's sentimental bullcrap that they used for that little 4y old zedkid who picked up the doll at the gas station AND also the zombie who held a huge rock in both of its hands smashing through the window in the downstairs store in Atlanta in episode 2 of season 1.

You just don't do that if you have any respect for the genre. Resident evil was just fine until the second movie...

They are mindless, braindead cannibals. Why...oh WHY would they ever need or KNOW how to use anything? Mindless shamblers that pose a threat when in great numbers...that's the real game.

[MafiaPuppet]

 

You just don't do that if you have any respect for the genre. Resident evil was just fine until the second movie...

 

 

The "genre" did that well before YOU turned into a militant fanboy of it, obviously. Every major zombie director before the 28 Days Later era turned it into pop candy had zombies with some sad form of self-awareness.

[Guest]

 

 

You just don't do that if you have any respect for the genre.

 

 

The "genre" did that well before YOU turned into a militant fanboy of it, obviously.

 

Consider this discouragement for statements such as these.

Be lovely.

[MafiaPuppet]

No.

Just NO.

 

[Lamenuit]

Own zombies is not able to use the tool, the idea is not bad in itself. But they are already hard to kill. By cons, as some people are dead in their given job, police, fireman, etc., and are harder to kill. Why not.

[Bolgfred]

 

Hi! Today I was watching Night of the Living Dead and I realized that zombies possess a limited capacity for understanding, within the universe of films of Romero(In every movie).


So i thought this suggestion:


Zombies with the ability to use weapons and other tools to attack, but in a primitive way. This would give them the ability to (for example), break a glass using a rock, or attack the character awkwardly swinging a bat/crowbar/etc    

Just like this: things-zombie-movies-stole-from-night-of-the-living-dead-brick.jpg

Obviously the zombies with weapons / tools create more damage by attacking a target.

PD:I apologize if I make grammatical or spelling errors, I speak Spanish and I'm really bad when it comes to English  

 

Hola amigo,

 

Firstly, I agree with the idea of zombies wearing items, and I think for this idea surely un poco de espacio in the PZ setting, but Romero's zombies are quite more blessed con inteligencia than the PZ-Version, which is more like Lucio Fulci, the hungry driven interpretacion that doesn't even find una puerta if its not in the direct way to walk, from zombi 2.

Both of them surely have their right to exist, but the interpretation of the evil/intelligent zombi doesn't fit the understanding for people today, than it fits to personas 40 años ago which is a result of social evolution and economy but... acaba de decir que ha cambiado*.

 

What I can imagine bastante bien, and I think  in some way it has been already talked about, is that zombies get more individually designed as police men, construction workers, wizards,  secretaries, house wifes, street wifes, plumbers, clowns, McDonalds customers, and so on which would wield tal vez a tool of profession like batons, hammer, children, pencils, pipes or burger.

 

 

PD: Pido disculpas si cometo errores gramaticales o de ortografía, hablo alemán y estoy muy mal cuando se trata de españoles     **

 

 

*sorry, this part is google translate

**sorry, happened again

[The Wanderer]

No.

Just NO.

 

If you want zed running around using whatever tools/weapons/etc then choose another game that has that implemented already. I despise the tv series Walking Dead for it's sentimental bullcrap that they used for that little 4y old zedkid who picked up the doll at the gas station AND also the zombie who held a huge rock in both of its hands smashing through the window in the downstairs store in Atlanta in episode 2 of season 1.

You just don't do that if you have any respect for the genre. Resident evil was just fine until the second movie...

They are mindless, braindead cannibals. Why...oh WHY would they ever need or KNOW how to use anything? Mindless shamblers that pose a threat when in great numbers...that's the real game.

 Well friend, they know how to eat. And NO, im not talking about TWD because i hate it   

''You just don't do that if you have any respect for the genre'' What? have you ever seen a Night of The Living dead movie? lol

[JensTheViking]

 

No.

Just NO.

 

If you want zed running around using whatever tools/weapons/etc then choose another game that has that implemented already. I despise the tv series Walking Dead for it's sentimental bullcrap that they used for that little 4y old zedkid who picked up the doll at the gas station AND also the zombie who held a huge rock in both of its hands smashing through the window in the downstairs store in Atlanta in episode 2 of season 1.

You just don't do that if you have any respect for the genre. Resident evil was just fine until the second movie...

They are mindless, braindead cannibals. Why...oh WHY would they ever need or KNOW how to use anything? Mindless shamblers that pose a threat when in great numbers...that's the real game.

 Well friend, they know how to eat. And NO, im not talking about TWD because i hate it   

''You just don't do that if you have any respect for the genre'' What? have you ever seen a Night of The Living dead movie? lol

 

Yeah I guess I didn't think the word genre all the way through there. But still, what capacity of understanding do the zed in 2003 version of the Dawn of the dead have? Isn't that also written by Romero...or was just the first one...? Either way I've grown accustomed to the brainless twats hanging around...it's still something "new". If you look at Resident Evil and the similar "Pow, kapow samsh *everything exploding* bambambam" mindless action filled blaablaa, I find it hard to get into it. I'd rather watch Rambo or something if I want crappy action. But of course opinions and humans don't mix too well as always.

 

''You just don't do that if you have any respect for the genre'' What? have you ever seen a Night of The Living dead movie? lol

 

No I haven't actually because the original Dawn of the Dead was so crappy, it's the later version that got me hooked on the zombiegenre + TWD, both the 1 season of the tv series and the first two compendiums of the comics. War Z is excellent as a book but I've understood (so not seen yet) that the movie is way too hyperactive...zed running and smashing into things, piling on top of eachother making huge and tall walls and whatnot...so I don't care to even see it.

[Suomiboi]

The 2003 version is "written" by Romero, meaning based on the original, but not directed by him. It's just taken some inspiration (mainly the mall and name) from the original and made cheesy and fitting for modern pop culture. The original has a lot more depth behind it than just the mass slaughter and running from zombies.

[Swagger]

 

 

No I haven't actually because the original Dawn of the Dead was so crappy

 

 

 

Oh hell no!  The original is far superior to the remake and its Usain Bolt zombies.

 

On topic, zombie wants to eat to you, zombie doesn't want to hack you to death or shoot you.

[Guest]

 

Oh hell no!  The original is far superior to the remake and its Usain Bolt zombies.

Yes, wasn't a fan of the parking lot scene where they ran after the truck.

Though, if you listen to commentary, it wasn't exactly the director's intention.

[Swagger]

 

 

Oh hell no!  The original is far superior to the remake and its Usain Bolt zombies.

Yes, wasn't a fan of the parking lot scene where they ran after the truck.

Though, if you listen to commentary, it wasn't exactly the director's intention.

 

 

I never got as far as any commentary as I only watched it once.  It just seemed to lack the soul of the original, not even Ving Rhames could save it

[JensTheViking]

 

 

Oh hell no!  The original is far superior to the remake and its Usain Bolt zombies.

Yes, wasn't a fan of the parking lot scene where they ran after the truck.

Though, if you listen to commentary, it wasn't exactly the director's intention.

 

Heh...and I thought that was a nice scene. Of course zed running like Usain Bolt (heh) is a bit excentric but I somehow liked it. The main thing for me in this field is consistency. That's why I cant stand it when first they just shamble and then suddenly they pick up stuff or turn a door knob etc etc. All zed in a movie, comic or series should behave the same through out the whole thing. Although there are "lurkers" and "shamblers?" in the comic but they behaviour pattern is very consistent and it makes sense.

[The Wanderer]

 

 

No.

Just NO.

 

If you want zed running around using whatever tools/weapons/etc then choose another game that has that implemented already. I despise the tv series Walking Dead for it's sentimental bullcrap that they used for that little 4y old zedkid who picked up the doll at the gas station AND also the zombie who held a huge rock in both of its hands smashing through the window in the downstairs store in Atlanta in episode 2 of season 1.

You just don't do that if you have any respect for the genre. Resident evil was just fine until the second movie...

They are mindless, braindead cannibals. Why...oh WHY would they ever need or KNOW how to use anything? Mindless shamblers that pose a threat when in great numbers...that's the real game.

 Well friend, they know how to eat. And NO, im not talking about TWD because i hate it   

''You just don't do that if you have any respect for the genre'' What? have you ever seen a Night of The Living dead movie? lol

 

Yeah I guess I didn't think the word genre all the way through there. But still, what capacity of understanding do the zed in 2003 version of the Dawn of the dead have? Isn't that also written by Romero...or was just the first one...? Either way I've grown accustomed to the brainless twats hanging around...it's still something "new". If you look at Resident Evil and the similar "Pow, kapow samsh *everything exploding* bambambam" mindless action filled blaablaa, I find it hard to get into it. I'd rather watch Rambo or something if I want crappy action. But of course opinions and humans don't mix too well as always.

 

''You just don't do that if you have any respect for the genre'' What? have you ever seen a Night of The Living dead movie? lol

 

No I haven't actually because the original Dawn of the Dead was so crappy, it's the later version that got me hooked on the zombiegenre + TWD, both the 1 season of the tv series and the first two compendiums of the comics. War Z is excellent as a book but I've understood (so not seen yet) that the movie is way too hyperactive...zed running and smashing into things, piling on top of eachother making huge and tall walls and whatnot...so I don't care to even see it.

 

I start talking about NOTD series and you just come with

Dawn of the dead....holy crap...

[Croak90]

Can we not though?

[Fryhizzle]

No I haven't actually because the original Dawn of the Dead was so crappy

BOO THIS MAN!

 

The original movie was awesome.  To each his own, but damn, it might not have had the budget or the gift of modern cgi, but the story was fantastic.  The new one, while having entertaining action, had a weak story.  Maybe I am just a grumpy old man who wants kids off his lawn, though.

 

The OP has a point though.  The dev's said PZ was based off Romero zombies, and even though I hope they don't go all the way with that (Land of the Dead) it follows the Romero canon.  The zombies in the movies did use tools in a rudimentary sense.  The eye patch wacko scientist in the original Dawn even refers to it in his TV interview:

"...Intelligence? Seemingly little or no reasoning power, but basic skills remain and more remembered behaviors from normal life. There are reports of these creatures using tools. But even these actions are the most primitive - the use of external articles as bludgeons and so forth. I might point out to you that even animals will adopt the basic use of tools in this manner..."

 

Night - Rock swinging zombies

Dawn - Zombie with the rifle (granted he doesn't shoot it)

Day - Bub with the telephone (Aunt Alecia) and gun (he does shoot it)

Land - All kinds of crazy business in it (Machete zombie )

 

I am not for zombies walking around shooting guns, but a zombie dragging a bludgeon on occasion? why not?  It is just one more thing to confuse you, and another way to die.

[Unexacr]

Beforehand, a zombie is dead.. his braincells have perished, all he has left is a short memory and "not" the brains to use a weapon, tool or any other object usuable as some sort of weapon. 

 

So!, we probably all do agree a zombie was a human, or lorewise they were us before, so it would make alot of sense that the zombies that are around do carry in their hands whatever they were carrying or carried through fixed memory in life, just not the knowledge to use it.

A zombie carrying a hammer or a knife because he defended himself with it in life looks pretty okay to me, maybe even a small chance he might actually cut you with it by stupidity and ofcourse the animition of a zombie carrying the weapon/tool the "wrong" way would add some more reality to the game.

If a person dies the muscles will freeze, and so will the hands holding an object.

 

That's just my 2 cents about it,

Cheers.

[Suomiboi]

No. If anything the zombie's instinct would be trying to grab you, which would drop anything it's holding. If you want to eat something, you don't swing at it, you grab it. That's where the scratches come from too. It's not like they're swinging like bears.

Also, Romero is an influence, not a rule. Max Brooks is another influence...

[MafiaPuppet]

It's so ridiculously pointless to try to rationalize what a zombie would and would not do. If you need to apply a thin veneer of science fiction to justify the fantasy to yourself, go ahead. But any reference to instincts, brain cells, motor controls, etc is just playing with buzz words. You can no more justify your headcanon version of zombies with science than I can prove the existence of dragons with wikipedia.

 

I happen to prefer the true Romero zombie. I'm not going to try to prove it's somehow the only logical zombie because dead muscle cells can't contract fast enough to sprint.

[JensTheViking]

I start talking about NOTD series and you just come with

Dawn of the dead....holy crap...

 

NOTD? Some people seem to take this shit way too seriously...was I supposed to know that there's a certain pattern to follow in the discussion? "If I'm talking abouth something you can't talk about something"

[MafiaPuppet]

NOTD? I don't care about this topic anymore and am going to distance myself from it by pretending to be a cool person on the internet... was I supposed to talk about the same subject as the person I was quoting? "Oops."

 

Fixed that for you.

[Suomiboi]

It's not ridiculously pointless. It serves a purpose and that is to create a logical explanation to why things are happening. Romero does this too. There are tons of "experts" in his movies who always notice a patter and then deduct why it is so. It's very much in the grain of zombie fiction.

Max Brooks says zombies are like insects, Romero says they have memories... Neither is more right than the other considering their lore, but in the case of pz that's how I see it and I want to provide "proof" why it would be so. You can't just dismiss the whole notion of human physics just because it's fiction.

Edited typo.

[ApolloDiaspora]

You can argue that the Zombies in PZ act like insects and have memories, if you think about it.

 

'Technically' a zombie wouldn't be able to remember anything at all, depending on how hard-science you want to go, or how seriously you take to heart Max Brook's claim in the Zombie Survival Guide that Zombies are like a computer that follows a strict program that can never, ever be altered.

 

Zomboids have limited memory, seeing as they -will- follow you into cover (i.e: around a corner) if you break line of sight, but after a while they forget what they were doing and just amble about aimlessly. Insect like behaviour can be seen in the way they all come rushing at the one target without any regard for nearby Zeds (like flies). Hell, you could argue that the sheer concentration of zombies around the Mall and the Main Strip in Muldraugh arises from a romero-esque sense of memory: The zombies aren't just hanging around the high-value loot locations because they expired and reanimated in the process of looting, they're there because they felt strongly about those areas while passing on.

 

To me, that kinda makes sense, a kinda head-canon if you will. The concentration of zombies around the mall is too high (In my opinion, remember) to be explained by survivors trying to hit the building and expiring in the process. They're their because they really, really wanted to get there shortly before death. It's not because 'this place made them happy', as Dawn of the Dead put it, it's because they were trying to get there for supplies, medicine, or some other badly needed loot when they died. This desire to get to the mall could have 'imprinted' on their brain somehow (strong emotions/thoughts close to death or something like that), causing a slight change in the resulting zombie's behaviour. Say, when standing around mindlessly, they're more likely to be facing the direction of the mall. Factor in a few weeks of vaguely guided randomish motion, and suddenly you've got squillions of the buggers stinking up the parking lot.

 

But remember! It's like Suomiboi said. That's me seeing a pattern and trying to explain said pattern. The scientific method at work. It could be that zombie-brains get imprinted with faint desires at death. It could be that a thousand people barricaded themselves in the mall before someone got bit. Either way, I don't know. I just see a building overflowing with ludicrous numbers of zombies and am trying to explain it, in character and as a player.

 

At the end of the day, the zombies will behave as the devs intend them to do. It's up to us as players to come up with the best explanation to explain why that is in-universe. And everyone's explanation is different.

 

Finally, zombies using tools? Nah. Not really my thing. A sandbox setting you could use to make zombies behave more like a flock of birds or school of fish? I'd love to see that for experimental purposes