The Mana World Forums

Do you all think this could work in the game? Critiques welcome. If you all think it's a good idea, I'll start developing the entire set. =]

Note: It's supposed to be undersaturated...

Well it doesn't look so bad, but I'd say a zombie shouldn't be just a recolored player. It could work as a temp replacement maybe.

ElvenProgrammer wrote:Well it doesn't look so bad, but I'd say a zombie shouldn't be just a recolored player.

On the contrary, I think it'd be best if the zombies looked like the playerset because it make them seem more familiar. If they were a different style, the line between NPC and PC would be much wider. If a party goes into a dungeon to fight zombies, I think the zombies should resemble any other PC they met in the game (only more dead looking of course).

zombies always stretch their arms forward. its an unwritten law of necromanty.

Well I didn't say it should not look like the player, I said it shouldn't just be a color change.

If you edit the playerset and just change the colour and add some wounds it looks more like a halloween outfit rather then a real zombie. Being a zombie isn't about having a green skin. It's about needing fresh brains and walking like a war veteran who was hit by twenty shrapnels and driven over by a truck yesterday. At least that's one version of a zombie.
The other is the '28 Days Later' one. Hungering for flesh and running after it for 28 days.
I think the first is best for a game. Unless you're going for a action packed horror feel.

Modanung wrote:If you edit the playerset and just change the colour and add some wounds it looks more like a halloween outfit rather then a real zombie.

Well if the players are wearing clothes, it'd be different. I am planning for v2.0.

Modanung wrote:Being a zombie isn't about having a green skin. It's about needing fresh brains and walking like a war veteran who was hit by twenty shrapnels and driven over by a truck yesterday. At least that's one version of a zombie.

I know, I was going for a campy thing. I think tire marks would look weird on a zombie in a fantasy environment.

@ElvenProgrammer: Yeah, I understand that, but it'd be nice to have a bit of input on the actual sprite.

I had a bit of his head gone and brains exposed, but I decided that would look weird in a group of them.

Techsetsu wrote:I think tire marks would look weird on a zombie in a fantasy environment.

I totally agree. And that's not what I meant, I was talking about the way a zombie is supposed to move.

A zombie is made out of dead tissue and hence it should decay. For example his other arm could be entirely dead (muscle tissue decayed so far that it has partially dropped off and exposed bones). Also the face should go through some deforming too.

The only way I'm going to be happy with zombies is that we're going to have an array of 5-10 different zombies: they just shouldn't look like each other.

I always thought the SoM zombies were a bit odd:

I liked all monster sprites until I met the first zombie. I just think they're out of style.
I agree with Rotonen we need variations, although ten might be a bit much. Would be cool though.

Rotonen wrote:The only way I'm going to be happy with zombies is that we're going to have an array of 5-10 different zombies: they just shouldn't look like each other.

That's the reason I didn't make them so decayed.
I think making the skin look a bit more decayed and putting the arms up would make it ready to go.


ZAMN had only one zombie sprite and I think it worked!
(credits to llamascores.org)

There's a difference between arcade and an MMORPG. Same goes for Zombiepox:

But FLD goes for gameplay, not graphics. Eventhough their graphics are cool too.
Doom 3 had pretty much variation in zombies.