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No, not animal zombies.
I was thinking: upright walking is not a hard-wired feature in the human brain. our bodies are evolved for it, but dude to limited birth canal space for brains, it is one of the many features of our bodies we have to *learn* to use.
When we lose higher brain function (from being drunk, a concussion, taking some narcotics, etc) we almost immediately lose the ability to walk upright (mainly, we lose balance). so, when we are zombified, will will lose (among other things  ) most or all of our sense of balance. while many have said on these forums (cyperdemon many times) that zombies will have a bad sense of balance, isn't it possible, or even likely that the atrophied zombie brain will be forced back to a loping, almost quadruped walk? what will this mean in terms of their climbing ability? if they lack that, might it mean that lower barricades will stop them? how does this affect trap-setting?
I know this is minor issue, but was just curious as to what y'all thoguht.
"just don't let them turn into skeletons; the last thing we need to deal with is a resitance to slashing weapons" |
I think you bring up a good point. From what I understand, they won't lose the ability, though it is HIGHLY impaired to the point where a simple side-step at the right point in a zombie attack may cause them to topple.
But....what else this would effect....? I dunno. For traps, its just a matter of adapting the trap. In my opinion, traps are all about using gravity and redirecting the force so that the zombie falls, and this pulls a cord that causes some chop-chop. Finding a way to make sure it gets the head every time will be difficult whether they crawl or walk.
All that needs to be said is this: FIRE = BAD
Good point about their balance...once a zombie falls, can it even stand back up again?
Lots of potential for traps here...string a bunch of ankle-catching cord around, and put spikes in the ground about where the head should fall...or, scatter lots of 2x4s with nails in them, and pretty soon all the neighborhood zombies are tripping around with boards nailed to their feet. It'd be kinda funny watching a bunch of those try to chase someone.
Since zombie's don't feel pain, will they put their full weight down even when steping on a spike? The good thing about cutting off a zombie's foot is that then you're being chased by a one-footed zombie.
I'm inclined to think so. They are pretty stupid. The problem is, that would only hold the zombie up a little while--half a minute, maybe one, max--before he can dislodge his foot and keep moving. Of course, that may be enough time to get away.
getting up: if there is something to boost them or if theyre fast athletic zombies (if not all brain functions r dead see my classifying post), it shouldnt be a problem. now this makes a scythe an even better weapon: chop heels instead of aiming for necks, theyll topple backwards, others will trip on them and so forth.
crawling zombies: this scares me a bit. they might nt be so pathetic as i thought, they might be morea dept at that and using all of their strength (we use 5-10% daily) and at reduced bodyweight, they could crawl pretty dangerously. and apart from good speed bumps, this makes them harder targets (but better targets for... NAPALM!!! *screeching psycho violins*) lets face it, a carpet is easier to burn than a rolled-up carpet standing up huh?
climbing quadrapeds: this is an interesting point. the zombies might adapt to crawl using their arms alone and even maybe climb. however this is easily solved by 14" nails beaten through the wall you wish to fortify. a zombie (god forbid) starts crawling up, goes through a barrier of nails and opens itself gullet to gonads or even gets pinned. thats why the nails should be beaten in at a 45 degree angle with no more than 10cm space in between, several nails per zombie
traps based on balance: ive said this before ill say it again. a giant pit. or better yet... get some steel rebars and stick them at the bottom, like spikes in a jungle trap. now how do you bait the zombies? easy, put a steel beam (or a railroad rail) across the pit, lure them on one side and taunt. or stand in the middle. no way they will take more than 2 steps and kuz of their shitty relfexes they wont grab on. so there you have it. the zombie pit of death (lol maddox). if it gets allmost full, just pour some oil in it and burn em all, even a little bit will go a long way. you know mass cremation. what a sight... and maybe smell
war's my game
destruction by no other name
*chuckles* You are determined to use fire at every available opportunity.
Ah well.
All that needs to be said is this: FIRE = BAD
It would drastically change hand to hand fighting techniques. Knee attacks would be useless. On the plus side, heads would be a bit easier to get at, since they'll be in front. You could also jump on the zombie's back to flatten them, and then stomp their head in.
You'd have to be more vigilant about small nooks and crannies wherever you are. The zombies would really be harder to see in general.
Also, it would be more difficult to hit them en mass with something ment to punch through multiple zombies, you'd have to crouch down to line it up.
However, there'd be a drastic improvement in your visibility when surrounded by zombies, which would be incredibly useful. Also make it easier to tell the difference between zombie and not zombie.
Big stomping boots would certainly go into vogue.
another thing to watch out for, it that crawling or loping zombies may not me so slow- think about it; the only reason *i* can't crawl so fast is cause if i run on my knees, they hurt like a bitch. if i caouldn't feel pain.....
"just don't let them turn into skeletons; the last thing we need to deal with is a resitance to slashing weapons"
WayoTS, that kind of zombie is about the scariest ones I can imagine. Remember the lopers from 28 days? The way horders of those guys swarmed over barriers was one of the most terrifying parts of that movie. Fast semi-quadreped guys seem like some of the hardest to defend against.
I agree.
If the zombies are not how we assumed them to be, in the case of existng as either faster, or, worse yet, smarter zombies which possess the ability to think, then our current weapons and defense structures would need to be reevalutated completely.
But human beings possess a very strong will to live, so I believe we would eventually discover a way to get around these obstacles. No problem should be too big for us to tackle with concentrated effort.
Courage is grace under pressure.