More Zombie Game Ideas
I’m working on a couple more zombie games, to expand into more practical genres than live action nerf wars. The concept spewed forth from my brain as if dictated by some sort of Zombie Jesus (with a help from Mike and Mandi, as well), so less than 24 hours later I’m already prepared to create a prototype. It came out of a thought I had that I’d love to see a zombie RTS.
It would work a bit like the Zerg Rush level of the Terran campaign in Starcraft. You’d start in a building, somewhere in a city, with control of a small squad of humans. Elsewhere in the city are the other teams, as well as pockets of survivors and zombies roaming about. Zombies would increase steadily in number, as they broke into the pockets of survivors, and flowed in from the edges of the city. You can’t fight them, your only hope is to defend.
Unlike a standard RTS, you wouldn’t build Barracks’ and Workshops. Resource gathering would involve taking control of a building and setting your dudes to scavenge for ammunition and materials. Materials can be used to barricade windows and doors, or set up roadblocks.
Find enough ammunition, and you can make a push through to clear a street. You can then erect some quick barricades and you’ve gained some territory. Any buildings in that territory are yours to pillage. If you run into a pocket of survivors before the zombies get to them, they’ll tag along, but they’re too scared to fight. You can send them to scavenge, but they’re zombie food if the barricades break down, so you’d better leave some of your squad to protect them.
Eventually, the human players would meet each other. As in any zombie movie we’ve seen, human nature is a bitch. You’ve got your loyal squad, there’s no way you’re letting that other guy take charge. You’re in control here, only one team can survive. Murder your opponents in cold blood, or tear down their barricades and let the zombies do it for you. Letting the zombies do it saves ammo, sure, but you might have to kill them again anyways later.
There will be two ways to win: by time limit, or elimination. If the time limit is reached, the winner is the player with the most territory (inside his barricades). Elimination will obviously occur if you’re the only team left. In either case, before the winner is declared, he must survive sudden death. This will be a brief period when the zombies all become enraged, with increased speed and strength. If the winner-to-be cannot hold them off, there is no winner.
Extermination is never a possibility, as the undead will continually pour in from the suburbs, attracted by the sounds of building and battle. In sudden death, the rate of influx will be inversely proportional to the current zombie population.
