Hi, I'm interested in hearing your ideas for my new project. You can view my previous two games here: Secret Agent Dorito 'Twas The Night For my next game I'm going a different direction. The simplest way to describe it is The Oregon Trail computer game.... with zombies! Summary: The world is overrun with zombies that can sniff out humans so it's only a matter of time before people are found and attacked. The objective of the game is to travel to the one safe city left. Getting there will be a dangerous journey though. The game is a Top-Down action/survival game that switches between the map view where you travel to different locations and the Top-Down view where you explore locations and fight zombies. Gameplay: You start off by choosing your character's appearance and two perks. These perks determine your previous character's profession. Then you get a chance to buy equipment and supplies before you set out on your journey. You are thrust into the randomly generated map screen where you must travel between locations. There is a bar though that tells you your chance of being attacked by zombies (Green=Safe Yellow=Small Chance Red=Take Cover!). There are many buildings on the map and the point is to reach the next building before the next swarm of zombies attack because you will be much safer inside a building that is defensible. If you are attacked before you reach a building, there will be no supplies to find and less terrain to hide behind and make choke points. Once you reach a location you can enter it or continue on and hope you don't get attacked. Upon entering you will have 2 minutes to search for supplies and weapons and allies before the swarm comes. Also during this time you can move objects like furniture around to block off entrances so it will take longer for the zombies to reach you. After the 2 minutes are up, the zombies come! You must kill them all or survive for a certain amount of time to continue. This process continues until you reach the safe city or die. You can change the game's difficulty and length depending on how long a game you want. I would like your input on what you think about the game concept and also, what would you like to see in a Zombie Apocalypse game? My next post will contain some more details.

Alright, here are some more ideas I would like some input on:

Perks:
You start off with two perks and can gain more if you kill enough zombies.

Strong Back- You can carry more items.
Lifting- You can move heavy objects to create obstacles.
Marksmanship- Your accuracy with guns increases.
Fast Cash- You start off with more money than normal.
Scavenger- You find items more often.
Pathfinding- You can travel faster and safer between locations.
Speedy- You can run faster and for longer.
Melee- You melee combat is improved.
Martial Artist- You unarmed combat is improved.
Mechanic - Good at repairing stuff.
Leadership - Allies don't run away.
Cook - Food lasts longer.
Eagle Eye - Higher Vision Range.

What other unique perks could I add?


Equipment/Supplies:
Pistols
Hunting Rifles
Shotguns
Sub-Machine Guns
Assault Rifles
Melee Weapons (Knives, Axes, Bats)
Med-Kit (Heals Health/Sickness)
Antidote to Infection (Cures infection if used before people turn into zombies.)
Food (You consume more with more allies.)
Tools (Weapons can break over time. Tools can repair them.)
Money (Buys items at trading posts.)
Small Bullets
Large Bullets
Buckshot
Flares (Removes Fog of War wherever they are placed)

What other sorts of equipment would you like to see?


Allies:
You can find survivors in buildings or hire them at trading posts. They will then follow you and fight for you until you dismiss them or they die.
The more allies you have, the more items you can carry but they also consume more food. You may have to dismiss some if you run low on food or if one of them gets bitten. If you have an antidote you can cure them before they turn, if not they can be a danger to your party.

Each survivor has a personality trait that effects how they preform. For example they might be "clumsy" which means they aren't very accurate with weapons or they are "brave" which means they never run away from zombies.


Encounters:
Along the way certain events will happen to you or you will have a chance to participate in them. I would like more ideas for events.
Ideas:
1. One of your characters gets sick.
2. You hear noises nearby. Investigating could lead to survivors or zombies.
3. Find a cache of items.


Thanks in advance for any input.

Good ideas.

I also decided that I should throw in some perks that don't necessarily help the player but are just for fun, like the perk in Fallout that caused everyone to die in an excessively violent manner.

Any ideas for those?

If there are a hundred zombies attacking at once, and they look the same, that would be a real bummer. I'd love to see some procedurally generated zombies, even if its just different limbs missing and different clothes.

Quote:Original post by Si Hao
Charm - Your character attracts more zombies of the opposite sex

Why is it I know I'd have that on every game?

Anyway:

Perks:

Shatter Bullets - Bullets you use tend to be rather flimsy, but this can prove to be an advantage in some cases... (All bullet-firing gun fire shotgun-style shots)

Zombie Blood - Being bitten by a zombie has made you highly sick, but it nonetheless increases your chances of survival. (Health drains at a constant rate, but you have a higher max HP)

Religious Person - Zombies tend to stay away from you.