This is the game in its current form. Note that bullets have travel time.
www.zombiebovine.com/playgame
I'm currently upgrading the zombie AI and I want to add a system where zombies hear gunshots nearby and charge toward the player; to balance this out, I need a dedicated stealth weapon. But I don't want something that has been done recently in a big game - I want something that sets my game's stealth sections apart.
Here are some ideas that I've had so far:
Boomerang - after hitting a target it returns and you have to catch it. if you don't hit an enemy, it wont return.
Throwing knives - when you throw knives in real life, you need to take care of the rotation of the blade; so some kind of mechanic of charging the spin by the right amount might make this a challenge. I throw knives in real life (although I'm not very good at it) and can reliably stick a knife in a target blade first, but this takes serious practice and concentration. Whether you go for one spin or multiple spins, you need to ensure the spin is correct.
Crossbow - How can I make this more of a challenge than just a plain old crossbow?
Longbow - Again, how to make this a proper challenge?
Dart gun - the same problem applies here, I want the stealth weapon to be harder to snipe with than other weapons and a dart gun is just too easy if its similar to a normal gun.
Any ideas are welcome, thanks for reading.
A stealth weapon that's never been done before
An immediate thought on challenge is that non-bullet projectiles have shorter range, less penetration (e.g. may not go through glass or wood depending upon factors), and are affected more by wind. Bows would also have higher reload time.
On another tack, you could go for stealth melee weapons, e.g. decapitate with some kind of garotte, nailgun to the brain, etc. The risk would be the close range and accuracy required, and slow movement required to maintain stealth.
Another possibility is that the stealth weapon has a chance of causing attention from the target if it hits without killing.
For general players I would discourage advanced weapon physics. The furthest I would go would be a tactical element to use plus a timing challenge (e.g. random movement of sights, firing at right time in breathing cycle, perhaps a similar mechanism for knife throwing where the point in the cycle is directly related to the angle of the knife when it hits).
On another tack, you could go for stealth melee weapons, e.g. decapitate with some kind of garotte, nailgun to the brain, etc. The risk would be the close range and accuracy required, and slow movement required to maintain stealth.
Another possibility is that the stealth weapon has a chance of causing attention from the target if it hits without killing.
For general players I would discourage advanced weapon physics. The furthest I would go would be a tactical element to use plus a timing challenge (e.g. random movement of sights, firing at right time in breathing cycle, perhaps a similar mechanism for knife throwing where the point in the cycle is directly related to the angle of the knife when it hits).
Perhaps certain weapons -- I'm thinking specifically of the blow-gun here, but it could also apply to others -- aren't immediately effective against the target. Consider for example, you sneak up and hit a lone target -- you can't take a group because of the increased risk and slow effectiveness -- with your dart, but you need to either hit your target from behind or risk being attacked -- potentially noisily -- before the dart takes effect.le some
Only applicable in some situations, and difficult to use effectively. Does that meet your needs?
Only applicable in some situations, and difficult to use effectively. Does that meet your needs?
Another possibility is that stealth weapons don't kill or don't kill unless you go to town on them. For example, dart gun, whack over the head with a 2x4, etc. That also leads to fun moments like "oh crap, the zombies I knocked out over there are waking up and they can see me now!".
What about a simple rock? Drop on your enemy. But the death is noisy, so this will attrackt zombies to the rock. You can throw it a bit, but not very far.
Boomerang - after hitting a target it returns and you have to catch it. if you don't hit an enemy, it wont return.
Wait, isn't that the opposite of how a boomerang is supposed to work?
I like the idea of simple rocks in a zombie survival scenario. Ammo conservation is an important aspect of survival and rocks are not only plentiful but also highly reusable.
How about small throwable rocks or bricks?
You hit an enemy and there's a (mostly silent) squishy impact. If you miss, the rock/brick causes considerably more noise (depending on the surface it lands on?). However, the noise originates from the point of impact. That way rocks can not only be used as stealthy weapons, but also to create diversions.
As a total curveball (and this is dependent on the tech level of your world, thought you could always explain it as a secret prototype military weapon) how about something pheremone-based?
It is usually indicated that zombies are attracted to potential prey primarily via their hearing, but why not secondarily by a sense of smell? It would be a better way of telling live humans from fellow undead than sight, and hunting via scent is a common methodology for many predators so why not undead?
If you accept this premise, then the pheremone-rifle could work in a number of ways. Lets say if deploys via firing a silenced dart (so shortish range) which is loaded with powerful pheremonal chemicals.
You hit your zombie target and the dart releases its payload. You could have it that the zombie becomes confused, disoriented, unable to focus clearly on the smell of his human prey anymore.
A more interesting possibility would be that the payload makes him smell like a living human being, such that his fellow zombies go for him, rather than for the player. Hell, as stupid as zombies are, he might even start eating himself!
Like I say, curveball, but thought it might be of interest.
It is usually indicated that zombies are attracted to potential prey primarily via their hearing, but why not secondarily by a sense of smell? It would be a better way of telling live humans from fellow undead than sight, and hunting via scent is a common methodology for many predators so why not undead?
If you accept this premise, then the pheremone-rifle could work in a number of ways. Lets say if deploys via firing a silenced dart (so shortish range) which is loaded with powerful pheremonal chemicals.
You hit your zombie target and the dart releases its payload. You could have it that the zombie becomes confused, disoriented, unable to focus clearly on the smell of his human prey anymore.
A more interesting possibility would be that the payload makes him smell like a living human being, such that his fellow zombies go for him, rather than for the player. Hell, as stupid as zombies are, he might even start eating himself!
Like I say, curveball, but thought it might be of interest.
On another tack, you could go for stealth melee weapons, e.g. decapitate with some kind of garotte
Awesome junk movie, big fun... have not seen that one for a while.
And suddenly memories of Shaun of the Dead come up... vinyl records...
Boomerang - after hitting a target it returns and you have to catch it. if you don't hit an enemy, it wont return.The opposite would be more realistic and more challenge. If you miss a zombie so it can still kind of "feel the wind", it will see where the boomerang goes to, which is... you!
Crossbow - How can I make this more of a challenge than just a plain old crossbow?Takes 10 seconds of winch operation to be ready, can only be strung for a minute without taking damage -- needs ahead planning (and needs a winch, which is not necessarily found on the same location). A "serious" crossbow (as opposed to a toy) might need a ratchet brace too, which is not so much stealth at all. That means you not only have to plan ahead to snipe, you also have to find a secluded place for the non-stealth bit first. Besides, firing a crossbow (or bow) is nowhere near silent, the whizz of the string and the tack of the slide are not as terribly loud as gunfire, but they're clearly audible.
Longbow - Again, how to make this a proper challenge?Same as crossbow, you cannot have a bow strung for indefinite time. And of course you only have so and so many arrows, which are ~50% likely to break when hitting a body (and 100% likely when hitting a wall).
How about a Sling? Incorporates the plentiful ammo aspect of rocks as well as can utilize a unique firing method, such as holding the button down to start swinging the sling, which gains power, then release to throw. You could even add in aim disruption as you hold the button for longer to increase the difficulty of power shots. Make it weak with extra damage to the head and an additional bonus when undetected by the enemy. Difficult to use effectively, but infinite ammo and stealthy (unless you miss, of course).
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