Diversionary Tactics

SmileyPaul

we all know that once a zombie has found a target it will pursue said target until one of two things happen. the zombie is dead or its prey has been nommed on.

this leads me to my question. how do we use diversionary tactics on a one track mind beast? would we need the majority of people to lead the Z's away from a small group?
an unimaginable loud noise?
or actually send out a wounded human to grab the attention of our feindish foe?

Brunteaphile

In Land of the Dead they

use fireworks at night and it distracts the zombies, so they can move around at night, or go hunting

So, in that sense we could also use flashlights maybe on the ground and maybe they'll chase that like a cat...

ScumLord

Brunteaphile wrote: »

In Land of the Dead they

use fireworks at night and it distracts the zombies, so they can move around at night, or go hunting

So, in that sense we could also use flashlights maybe on the ground and maybe they'll chase that like a cat...

Spoiler tags in case there are people that want to be eaten by zombies?

Fresh or rotting meat meat could maybe be used. Rotting meat would produce more of a smell but I don't think it's all that appealing to zombies.

Place a lump of the meat on a stick (high up) hours before you intend on entering an area it might pull in allot of zombies.

The only problem I see with using loud noises or lights is they may attract undesirable living towards you too.

Kess73

I don't think meat, fresh or rotting would attract them as the only meat they want to munch on is still alive.


If rotting flesh was an attraction then they would munch on each other and on their fallen undead chums.



Methinks that sound and movement is the best way to distract them. Something as simple as leaving a radio turned on may be enough to draw them in a certain direction. The problem would be when they have a clear line of sight and can persue a target. The person being chased would need to drop out of their line of sight and set up something to make a noise in one direction, whilst they crept away unseen in the other direction.

Katarn1

Definitely a good idea to establish things that get their attention.

Firstly, for avoidance during the outbreak.

Secondly, a way to attract zombies when we are reclaiming land and wiping them out. Safer to gather them to where we want rather then random hunting.

My money would be on smells, so bloods and meats, as mentioned above - working on the basis that feral instincts and sense are more prominent.

SmileyPaul

Kess pointed out that zombies are only really attracted live meat so meat on a stick wouldn't really work.

but Im talking about if your strong hold barricades are being beaten in by Z's how would we be able to draw there attention away from the place?

Kromdar

scrambler bike and experienced rider:

-bike makes lotsa noise, fumes, light, etc.

-rider drives at appropriate speed to have z's follow.

-lead them into trap

-??????????

-Profit.

ScumLord

SmileyPaul wrote: »

Kess pointed out that zombies are only really attracted live meat so meat on a stick wouldn't really work.

Living flesh doesn't really have that much of a smell, normally what your smelling off a person is bacteria and dead, rotting skin. Rotting flesh is just smellier version of flesh. It will always attract any animal in for a closer look especially a predator.

but Im talking about if your strong hold barricades are being beaten in by Z's how would we be able to draw there attention away from the place?

In that case noise and distraction there's, it's an emergency someone has to get out and draw them away. Kromdars way will work.

Kess73

ScumLord wrote: »

Living flesh doesn't really have that much of a smell, normally what your smelling off a person is bacteria and dead, rotting skin. Rotting flesh is just smellier version of flesh. It will always attract any animal in for a closer look especially a predator.

Living flesh does have a scent, it is just not as pungent to our sense of smell as rotting flesh is.


Let us not forget that the Zs are rotting also, and their olfactory bulbs will be basically deteriorating from the moment of death, reducing their ability to smell. Also if a Z does not breath, then it will not be getting intakes of air that help pass scents onto the olfactory receptors.


They may have a limited sense of smell, but they sure as hell won't be like bloodhounds sniffing us out imho. Sight and sound will be their main methods of finding us.

ScumLord

Kess73 wrote: »

Living flesh does have a scent, it is just not as pungent to our sense of smell as rotting flesh is.


Let us not forget that the Zs are rotting also, and their olfactory bulbs will be basically deteriorating from the moment of death, reducing their ability to smell. Also if a Z does not breath, then it will not be getting intakes of air that help pass scents onto the olfactory receptors.


They may have a limited sense of smell, but they sure as hell won't be like bloodhounds sniffing us out imho. Sight and sound will be their main methods of finding us.

In all likely hood the sense of smell and taste will be the last to go. It's more than likely that the very complex senses of sight and hearing will go almost immediately. Hearing depends on a very miniature and delicate set of bones and flesh. human eyesight is one of the most advanced senses in the animal kingdom. Do you know how much mental processing takes place before you see what you actually see? It huge, I actually find it fascinating when coupled with the effects of drugs but that's another story. It's doubtful that zombies could have the mental capacity to understand the information that's coming from the eye, especially when the eye (an extremely delicate organ) is in the process of decay. Smell and taste are the most basic of senses so, that should be the main focus.

Kess73

ScumLord wrote: »

In all likely hood the sense of smell and taste will be the last to go. It's more than likely that the very complex senses of sight and hearing will go almost immediately. Hearing depends on a very miniature and delicate set of bones and flesh. human eyesight is one of the most advanced senses in the animal kingdom. Do you know how much mental processing takes place before you see what you actually see? It huge, I actually find it fascinating when coupled with the effects of drugs but that's another story. It's doubtful that zombies could have the mental capacity to understand the information that's coming from the eye, especially when the eye (an extremely delicate organ) is in the process of decay. Smell and taste are the most basic of senses so, that should be the main focus.

If smell and taste are the main focus, then we will be discounting pretty much the Max Brook/Romero Z, and combat against them has actually gotten an awful lot easier. Also their reaction times up close would be awful as they could smell you but not see you to grab you.



The olfactory glands are actually quite complex, and even if we agree that they will decompose slower despite being tissue, there is one other major thing against smell being the Zs main sense. Mucus.


The body stops creating fresh mucus membrane upon death, and without it, any process that requires absorbtion , taste and smell being the primary ones, ceases.


Another thing that is against the smell and taste theory is the lack of intelligence a Z has. The human sense of smell is one that relies greatly on memory and the ability of the person to work out what the scent is, we also need the smell to be much stronger than animals do, in order for us to detect it and process it. So you take away the intelligence factor and you are left with a system that needs the scent to be the strongest scent within it's range in order for it to notice it, and even then it may not be able to process it, whereas sight and sound are much more basic in terms of a process system when all the system has to do is notice them and not process them to the degree of full recognition.


Human eyesight may be one of the most advanced in the animal kingdom in terms of the detail it can take in and process, but it also possesses everything it needs for the most rudimentary visual system similar to amphibians, who have good vision but a system that is based around movement and colour recognition.


So there is no reason for a z not to have eyesight that is diminished (diminishing more as time passes)





We can always put it to the test during the outbreak, I will creep past Zs, staying out of sight and making no sound, and we will see if they can track me by scent alone.


You can walk past a Z that has had various peppers etc smeared onto it's mouth and nose areas and see if it cannot hunt in an effective manner by sight. Or you can take on Zs with a can of Glade Fresh.

ScumLord

Kess73 wrote: »

If smell and taste are the main focus, then we will be discounting pretty much the Max Brook/Romero Z, and combat against them has actually gotten an awful lot easier. Also their reaction times up close would be awful as they could smell you but not see you to grab you.

The olfactory glands are actually quite complex, and even if we agree that they will decompose slower despite being tissue, there is one other major thing against smell being the Zs main sense. Mucus.


The body stops creating fresh mucus membrane upon death, and without it, any process that requires absorbtion , taste and smell being the primary ones, ceases.


Another thing that is against the smell and taste theory is the lack of intelligence a Z has. The human sense of smell is one that relies greatly on memory and the ability of the person to work out what the scent is, we also need the smell to be much stronger than animals do, in order for us to detect it and process it. So you take away the intelligence factor and you are left with a system that needs the scent to be the strongest scent within it's range in order for it to notice it, and even then it may not be able to process it, whereas sight and sound are much more basic in terms of a process system when all the system has to do is notice them and not process them to the degree of full recognition.

Would smells as basic as rotting flesh need to access complex memories though? I think that zombies would need to be able to produce mucus in the mouth and keep at least a sense of basic taste to have a preference for living flesh unless it's the warmth their after. They would also need some fluid in the mouth to pass on the virus through biting.

Human eyesight may be one of the most advanced in the animal kingdom in terms of the detail it can take in and process, but it also possesses everything it needs for the most rudimentary visual system similar to amphibians, who have good vision but a system that is based around movement and colour recognition.


So there is no reason for a z not to have eyesight that is diminished (diminishing more as time passes)

I'm not saying they won't have some form of sight but there is allot of processing involved in human sight the image that the eye actually sends to the brain isn't all that detailed the brain does allot of filling in, there's only one tiny spot in the centre of your vision that's actually in focus, the rest is blurred. The eye needs to be almost constantly moving, sending those images back to the brain which put all the tiny spots of focused vision together to give us an image that looks like it's all in focus. With the damage to the eye from decay added to the loss of the mental ability to process that image I think they won't have anything better than the ability to see in black and white and only notice great changes in light and shadow.

We can always put it to the test during the outbreak, I will creep past Zs, staying out of sight and making no sound, and we will see if they can track me by scent alone.


You can walk past a Z that has had various peppers etc smeared onto it's mouth and nose areas and see if it cannot hunt in an effective manner by sight. Or you can take on Zs with a can of Glade Fresh.

At least if the lemon zest doesn't knock them I can use the can as a weapon.

Overall the zombie won't have anywhere near the senses we do. Their eyesight will be extremely poor, to the point it's useless unless they're right up close to their target and can see a large shadow moving, it'll be completely useless at night.

The inner hear probably won't be able to function properly meaning they may not be able to hear the noise of people over great distances which could be a problem if there's a large group of zombies as they may not hear any diversionary tactics over their own moan.

Their basic sense of taste/smell could possibly pickup human activity over great distances but I don't think it would help them track a person all that well. It could see them doing things like eating blood soaked rocks which would make them even more dangerous when they break their teeth on the rocks.

Zombies are not great predators individually it's only in large numbers when they start acting almost like a simple bacteria just spreading and destroying everything in their path that they become dangerous. But I think within a few years the zombies would be completely blind/ deaf/ mute, with no senses at all.

Kess73

ScumLord wrote: »

Would smells as basic as rotting flesh need to access complex memories though? I think that zombies would need to be able to produce mucus in the mouth and keep at least a sense of basic taste to have a preference for living flesh unless it's the warmth their after. They would also need some fluid in the mouth to pass on the virus through biting.

I'm not saying they won't have some form of sight but there is allot of processing involved in human sight the image that the eye actually sends to the brain isn't all that detailed the brain does allot of filling in, there's only one tiny spot in the centre of your vision that's actually in focus, the rest is blurred. The eye needs to be almost constantly moving, sending those images back to the brain which put all the tiny spots of focused vision together to give us an image that looks like it's all in focus. With the damage to the eye from decay added to the loss of the mental ability to process that image I think they won't have anything better than the ability to see in black and white and only notice great changes in light and shadow.



At least if the lemon zest doesn't knock them I can use the can as a weapon.

Overall the zombie won't have anywhere near the senses we do. Their eyesight will be extremely poor, to the point it's useless unless they're right up close to their target and can see a large shadow moving, it'll be completely useless at night.

The inner hear probably won't be able to function properly meaning they may not be able to hear the noise of people over great distances which could be a problem if there's a large group of zombies as they may not hear any diversionary tactics over their own moan.

Their basic sense of taste/smell could possibly pickup human activity over great distances but I don't think it would help them track a person all that well. It could see them doing things like eating blood soaked rocks which would make them even more dangerous when they break their teeth on the rocks.

Zombies are not great predators individually it's only in large numbers when they start acting almost like a simple bacteria just spreading and destroying everything in their path that they become dangerous. But I think within a few years the zombies would be completely blind/ deaf/ mute, with no senses at all.

I would agree with that, although I tend to think that they would be falling into the blind/deaf/immobile mode within 18 months of each infection.