In a new developer blog, Associate Game Designer James Chen discusses the nuances of zombie AI in the upcoming survival MMO H1Z1. And here, deer can actually save lives.
The zombies in H1Z1 are not driven by their insatiable hunger for brains like “real” zombies, but by code in C++. This may seem a bit underwhelming at first glance, but the new dev blog tells this story in an exciting way.
Chen is primarily responsible for the behavior patterns of NPCs and their spawn points. Once any NPC has spawned, the system relies on “sensory data,” meaning whatever a zombie or a deer sees or hears. The evaluation of this data is then supposed to influence NPC behavior. A zombie could be programmed to react to sounds by rushing towards the sound source. In contrast, a deer would be programmed to run away from the sounds. But these should only be guidelines and not followed in an “all-or-nothing” style.
If a player makes too much noise but ducks behind cover, a zombie might notice this and stagger in the general direction of the player. However, on the way, it encounters a startled deer. This becomes the more rewarding target for the zombie, and it chases the deer instead of the player. And perhaps the deer is running away from a wolf, which naturally follows the deer and then spots the zombie. Maybe the zombie then engages in a fight with the wolf, allowing both the deer and the player to slip away without a fight.
It may also be possible for a player to scare a deer and chase it through a city besieged by zombies. If the plan works, all the zombies could chase after the deer, giving the player the opportunity to loot the city.
How zombies process their sensory data can be seen in the following clip, where a player seems to have their mind elsewhere:
