If you’re looking for the absolute best way to test your chops for zombie hunting without wearing pants, then give this game by forums superstar and hero of Purdue Underclocker a shot. If you wish to make your own additions to the game, you download the source code.

You play the role of a human who must defend themselves against the onslaught of a zombie horde. The slaughter starts slow at first, with your character only having a couple of socks to throw with only the occasional zombie chase, but as you progress and the killcount jumps up, shit starts to get real. Sure you get more socks, and eventually a dart gun, I’ve even heard rumor that there is a Vulcan with unlimited ammo to get if you’ve got the skill, but I’m certainly not good enough yet to have messed with it. The point is that this game is hard, but it’s the absolute best HvZ flash game around and you should check it out.

15 Awesome Points!

The day approaches when all of you will be called on to make a decision. Will you stand tall and proud? Or will you cower in the corner of cowardice? Will you rise to the challenge of your lifetime? Or will you let others fight in your stead? Will you get a bunch of your friends together and head to Brooklyn for an epic game of Humans vs Zombies? Or will you not do that and probably do something else that’s a lot lamer?

The choice is obvious! Join Humans vs Zombies for Come out and Play 2010!

Come out and Play is an urban gaming street festival held in New York every summer. Gamers from all over come for a weekend of awesome fun. There’ll be a lot more to do than just HvZ, too.

The festival is being help June 4th through 6th in the Park Slope and Gowanus Canal neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York. The Brooklyn Lyceum will be hosting the 2010 festival. If you’re trying to find a ride, we suggest posting in this thread on our forums.

We hope to see you there!

This has been our biggest season yet. From the over 500 game registrations we had, to the Penn State invitational, to the upcoming city-wide Melbourne game (with nearly 10 thousand people “attending” on facebook!) – there’s no doubt that Humans vs Zombies is taking over the world. It’s all thanks to you of course. So first of all we just want to give our thanks to everyone who’s participated in a game of HvZ. Y’all are the reason we put so much effort into this. And to the people who dedicate their free time to organizing games, we thank you especially. This wouldn’t be possible without you.

We also know that there are many more people out there who have yet to play a game of HvZ. Fret not! Organizing a game, though incredibly time consuming, is one of the most rewarding things you can do. For those of you thinking about organizing a large game we want to remind you that before anything else the safety of your players needs to be your primary concern. This includes clearing your event with any authorities before you start playing. It’s a lot of responsibility but we promise that it’s worth it. If you’re wondering where to start head over to our forums and check out our Dungeon Master Guide.

For those of you who can make it to the New York area this summer, we have been accepted to Come Out And Play, which is a live action gaming street festival being held in Brooklyn this year June 4th-6th. If you’re reading this, you’re invited. We hope to see you there.

Thanks again, and good luck battling the undead,

Chris Weed
HumansvsZombies.org
President,
Gnarwhal Studios Inc

HvZ: How did you get into comedy? What comedians or performers have inspired you? Who do you think is doing great stand-up, skits, web shorts, etc. today?

Ethan: I’ve been performing since I was seven years old, when I began hosting “The Ethan Show” for my dad and his ancient Panasonic camcorder in the living room.  At the time, I loved Steve Martin.  Idolized him.  I don’t even know if I thought he was all that funny—I think he just encapsulated all that I wanted to be.  At the suggestion of my mom, I wrote Steve a letter, and he sent back a signed photo of himself, which I promptly framed and hung above my bed.  While other 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th graders had posters of Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky in their rooms, I had a shrine to The Man With Two Brains.

Eventually I found out that the autograph was just a printed copy, and I lost all interest in Steve Martin.  But I grew to love him again in later years (post-Sgt. Bilko), as well as comics like Richard Pryor, Andy Kaufman, Bobcat Goldthwait, and Bill Hicks.  These days I’ve been really into Joe Rogan, Aziz Ansari, Eugene Mirman, and Tim and Eric, to name a few. I tend to like really “out there” comedians—those with totally unique and original voices.

HvZ: Are there any comedians who you can’t stand? Like, Jeff Dunham is the highest-grossing comedian in the U.S. right now… I can’t even make it through ten minutes of that guy.

Ethan: Yeah, I’d say you’re pretty dead on with Jeff Dunham.  I was thrilled when his show on Comedy Central got cancelled.  Did you see that thing?  It was PAINFUL.  I guess I feel the same way about Larry the Cable Guy, whom I can barely watch for more than a few minutes at a time.  But, then again, both of these guys are making more money than 99% of comedians, so they must be doing something right…

HvZ: A number of HvZ players have mentioned that they have an interest in comedy. Do you have any advice for them?

Ethan: They should film themselves playing HvZ.

But seriously, I’m not really sure my advice for them would be any different than for anyone else wanting to get into comedy, which is the same I give to guys who need help picking up and dating women:  practice, practice, practice.  Really, it’s no different than training for a sport, or a musical instrument…or a zombie apocalypse. Force yourself to write every day and perform every week.  Start simple, at coffee houses and open mics, and work your way up as you gain confidence and develop a persona over time.

Also, I’m curious to know why HvZ players in particular want to be comedians.  Is it because they’re aware of how hilarious it is when they say things like “We were considering getting a grappling hook, but they cost like, $200”?  Your lives are so rich with material, I think you’d be crazy NOT to use this stuff for comedy.

HvZ: Where did you go to school? Any stories you want to share? Did you play games (intramurals, team sports, assassins, etc.)?

Ethan: I went to Great Neck South High School, and then the University of Pennsylvania.  I never played anything close to HvZ in college, as I was too busy dorking out in an a cappella group.  But I did play “Magic: The Gathering” in middle school.  I had also never touched a boob until 9^th grade.  It took me about 25 years to figure out why…

HvZ: Do you play any games now (video/computer games, random contests with your friends, board games, etc.)?

Ethan: I love video games, and I’m especially into shooters—but in the past I’ve actually been pretty into RPGs, too.  I used to be all about Final Fantasy, and played World of Warcraft until it robbed me of my entire life and shriveled my penis into a little raisin.

The only thing I can imagine atrophying a penis faster than an MMORPG like World of Warcraft would be a live-action RPG.

HvZ: Now that you’ve had some time to learn more about HvZ, what are your impressions of the game?

Ethan: To be fair, I really should have done more research before commenting on the game.  So, since our dating advice show at Ball State University, I’ve read HvZ’s Wikipedia page, watched your fascinating (and beautifully edited, I might add) documentary on the game, have spoken in person to some players, and have extensively examined the rules on this very website.

And now, I realize my mistake: the game is actually far, far worse for college dating than I ever could have imagined.

Here’s what one Goucher College student says in the HvZ documentary:  “I remember, during the game, it had been five days without a shower, and hideouts wouldn’t let me in anymore because it was so bad.”

I mean, are you kidding me?  I know that women play this game too, but what kind of self-respecting female (Human, Zombie, or…normal) would ever date a guy who smells like an actual zombie?

Look, I’m not arguing that the game isn’t fun, or thrilling, or a great bonding experience. And there are plenty of dumber things out there, like, say, thumbing your best friend’s sphincter just to pledge a fraternity (see “Elephant Walk” in the Urban Dictionary).  But as I said before, although I’m a fan of RPGs, when they’re taken so seriously that players begin making real world sacrifices (e.g. food, showers, the touch of a real-life woman), you can count me out.

HvZ: So you have this “Picking Up Girls On the Subway” video (above), which is hilarious. The idea works because our generation is just expected to be completely obsessed with self-representation, and what I love about this is that you Dave are throwing out all of our social expectations about hitting on girls and getting hit on, and you catch people completely off guard with this. The look of abject panic that flashes on the girl’s face when Dave says “If you guess my name wrong, then we have to go out, then?” is just amazing. And those kind of moments seem to be what we both find to be funny and ridiculous about HvZ… the kids who talk about grappling hooks and just go balls-to-the-wall with it and don’t care what people think. Aren’t you basically accessing the same kind of whimsy and fun and irreverence with the subway bit? Maybe this whole line of questioning is just antithetical to your sense of humor?

Ethan: If I were to approach a girl and say, “Hi, my name is Ethan, and I’m in a race against time for my life as I am currently being stalked by brain-hungry zombies who can only be stopped by throwing socks at them.  Do you want to go out sometime?” I have a pretty good feeling that if she doesn’t run, she’ll completely ignore me.  And that’s because Dave and I speak to women with the specific goal of attracting them. We attempt to pique their interests, rather than extending our own interests to them.  Our methods are certainly irreverent and untraditional, which does definitely catch people off guard, but we also try to be relatable and friendly. HvZ may allow for “balls-to-the-wall” fun, but the culture simply doesn’t translate to regular civilians.

HvZ: Isn’t there something more to meeting girls than finding someone who’s willing to tolerate you enough to have sex with you? What about someone who challenges you? Do you believe that love exists? Haven’t you ever yearned for someone to play Call of Duty with?

Ethan: Of course, dude–to all counts.  I’ve never suggested that “getting laid” is the sole objective of dating. In fact, we made it pretty clear in our early YouTube videos that we started our whole double dating journey specifically in an attempt to find love. The ultimate goal IS to find a challenging, yet compatible and physically attractive someone to play Call of Duty with—but you’re not going to find that someone by sitting at home, masturbating to grappling hooks and Nerf guns.

HvZ: Anything else you want to say to the players of HvZ?

Ethan: I want to apologize for the actual “joke” I made about HvZ being like “anti-cologne,” as it completely and totally sucks.  I’m not even going to try to stick up for it.  It was an unfunny, off-the-cuff remark I made in an interview that has already been scrutinized way more than it should have.  That said, I still stand by the sentiment of the quote, as I could think of one hundred thousand better ways of meeting attractive women.  For example, walking down the street.

HvZ: There’s nothing sexy to you about running through the woods with a cute, geeky girl… late at night… adrenaline pumping…?

Ethan: If you can find a girl to do that with you, congratulations.  But I guarantee you that 9 out of 10 of women find nothing sexy about being chased around the forest at night by a gang of dudes with guns. Plus, you know how many cute girls you pass on your way to a zombie target?  And do you think any of them are saying, “Oh my GOD Bridgette, did you see that sweaty guy with the Modded Nerf Vulcan Automatic?  That was so hot!”?

As Dave and I said in our live show at Ball State, I think you guys do need our help when it comes to dating.  Through our reenactments, educational songs, and valuable lessons in everything from dancing to kissing—all inspired by the experience gained from close to 200 double dates—HvZ players can learn plenty about interacting in the non-zombie-infested real world.  We’d love to perform at any school in the U.S. that we haven’t yet visited.  Email us at daveandethan@yahoo.com and we’ll chat.

HvZ: Where can we find your work? Where can we see you perform?

Ethan: Our videos are available at http://daveandethan.com, and they include both our adventures in dating as well as clips from some of our live college shows.

In addition to performing at schools across the country, we have a monthly show at the People’s Improv Theater in NYC, which you can learn more about on our Facebook page: http://tinyurl.com/d-e-facebook

Feel free to add us individually on Facebook as well—we welcome friend requests from humans and zombies alike.

Part 1: Human After All
There is no blueprint for constructing the perfect game of Humans Versus Zombies; but designing a game with a strong yet flexible framework can support a hefty, unforgettable experience. We here at Gnarwhal Studios hope you have experienced the pleasure, nay, the joy of an immaculately run game. It is an unforgettable experience. The end of a good game should bring back those capricious tingles you felt as a kid at summer camp: the air seems healthier, the world a bit brighter. And even if you don’t know everyone’s names, you still grew an inexplicable bond with all the other kids. We here at the Studio wish every game could give you this feeling. But they don’t. Not all the time. And we want to help you fix that by helping you improve the way moderators run games of HvZ. Because when it comes down to it, it is the moderators and their game plan that decides whether a game goes down in history—or in flames.

If we’re going to make some suggested improvements we’d better first convince you, dear reader, that there are some problems with the way games are often run. Let’s identify some problems, shall we?
First of all, HvZ is a game best run by the players. It’s easy to mistake Moderators as the force that moves the game, but the engine that drives the game is done completely by the players and actually requires no Moderator intervention. Mods are necessary in order to smooth things out but add little to the actual motion of the game. Some HvZ scenes have a lot of Moderator intervention and we want to make it clear that sometimes this can be an amazing thing. But for newer and less adept Mod squads, the mentality that the game’s administrators should be highly involved in intricate missions and plot devices can become exponentially cumbersome to carry out and awkward if not down-right frustrating for the players. It’s easy for Mods to bite off more than they should and start acting all Big Government in the self-sustaining world of HvZ. Mods often begin to want to control the game, to attach an intricate plot, insert Non Player Characters (NPC’s), and make complicated albeit awesome missions that players can only complete by having direct, in-game moderator guidance. Sometimes this works and we don’t want to demonize those who do it. If you can pull these off, you’re a champ. But when Moderators try to harness and direct the inevitable forward motion of the game, that game takes on a mentality of being led through a pre-designed story than it is about a sandbox gaming experience. And we think that the sandbox is really the spirit of HvZ. What we need then is a system that ensures players can be given interesting, even intricate missions without the hand-holding of what is called Chaperone Moderation.

The second problem is related to the first but with a twist. When a Moderator is iron-fisted about their game design, the game is bound to break. That epic night mission where you told the Humans they would need three groups of twenty players for it to be completed was dashed when the Original Zombie tagged half the Resistance in the first six hours of the game. Now you’re stuck with having to change your poorly-planned rules mid-game not only disappointing the ravenous Horde but also diminishing the on-your-own appeal that the HvZ sandbox inspires. This On-The-Fly Moderation makes a Mod squad look incompetent and, like Chaperone Moderation, gives a sense that the Humans do the job so “daddy” has to come to the rescue and make their little game fair again. It might not seem like a big deal on paper, but play a couple of games where the Humans, surrounded on all sides mid-mission, are suddenly granted immunity by a chaperoning Moderator so they can make it to the declared mission area and you’ll have a Horde calling for not only the Humans’ brains but the Moderators’ too. We need a system that eliminates gives a sense that the game is in the hands of the players and the players alone. While any Moderator could sweep in and interfere at any moment, there should be little need for any Mod to be with the Humans while they complete their missions.

The third problem is almost inevitable at least once in a while. Sometimes even the best HvZ communities sprout some bad, bad seeds. We can all agree that the game is all about teamwork. It is universally understood that one person can bring down an entire game. And we don’t mean the kind of well-meaning stupidity that gets games in trouble games like when a guy crashes his home-made hang-glider into campus security’s patrol car. We mean when players act selfishly to “win” the game for themselves. Specifically, when a game’s end condition relies on all the Humans or all the Zombies to be dead, one player can drag out the game for days on end, well past the point of enjoyment for everyone, hiding and avoiding normal life—which is exactly the opposite of the spirit of the game. Call us idealists (we’ve been called worse), but we think games are best when everyone has a good time from beginning to end. If that means sacrificing yourself in some epic fashion of your choosing, so be it. Because HvZ, whether you like it or not, is not a game about who wins or loses but what reputation you can earn for yourself. Everybody wants to be remembered and respected and this game and others like it offer that opportunity. But when a player tries to use the dynamics of the game to “win,” not even he himself has real, honest-to-goodness fun. We need a system that prevents selfish players from ruining everyone else’s fun.

Last but not least is a subtle problem with our beloved pastime. Did you ever notice that playing as a Human is somehow exciting and yet as boring as playing Runescape? Remember how you were almost grateful to be a Zombie because then you could do something? That’s because HvZ is actually two games in one. You heard right. In a classic game of HvZ the Zombies are constantly in a game of “race against the clock.” Ask anyone in the Horde how swiftly the 48-hour feed countdown passes. You share a meal and all of a sudden it’s the next day and you have 10 hours left before starvation. Time is ticking. Zombies have to hunt! But Humans play a different game called “don’t play the game and win.” Technically speaking, the people with the highest chance of winning are the ones who also win the “Anne Frank Award” at the awards ceremony some games hold after the last brain has been munched. For Humans, hiding equals winning. But it’s also boring as sin. And despite the hefty rewards given to players who brave the undead storm during missions, no one, I repeat, NO ONE, has ever made a mission more worthwhile to complete than staying locked away, bored but winning, in your personal Zombie-Free Zone. Except for one. We need a system that changes the game for Humans: to get them out of their hidey holes and into the great blue yonder where they can be viciously mowed down by the Zombie Horde—I mean so they can at least try to achieve a victory condition.

Part 2: Aerodynamic
But fear not, dear reader, veteran HvZ theorists have been hard at work coming up with solutions to these most fundamental problems of the mechanics of our beloved game. And we are proud to announce that a consensus has been reached on how to solve the four problems described in part one.

The solution is called The Mission Tree.

Those of you who are familiar with games like Civilization, Starcraft, or Eve Online are also familiar with the concept of the “Technology Tree.” For those not familiar, Tech Trees operate a bit like the way colleges organize their courses: You must first complete Bio 101 and 102 before you may take Bio 200. Take a look at the imaginary Mission Tree below.

Remember at the end of Part 1 that there was one mission that got players out of hiding? It’s called the Helicopter Mission: a mission designed to be hard, long, and usually fatal but if completed, ends the game. As described by Josh Harris in a previous article on our site, a Helicopter Mission brings a sense of closure to a game. Interest in playing diminishes in relation to the number of players at an exponential rate toward the end of the game. Players complain that games do not end with a bang but rather a whimper.

The only thing that inspires players out of their caves is a chance at getting off the island, so to speak. Usually Helicopter Missions are declared as the Humans’ numbers dwindle and the Moderators heavy-handedly decide to end the game. But what if every mission was directly related to everyone’s survival? Would that get you out of your room and into the fight? Damn right it would. The relationship between effort and victory will inspire Humans not only because it gives them a reachable goal but also because it gives them something to do. It turns their game into a race against time as well except where the Zombies rush against a counting-down clock, the Humans rush against an increasingly carnivorous Horde racing against the clock. By instituting an endgame it gives the Humans an indirect clock to race against and thus finally makes missions worth going out for.

But a Mission Tree doesn’t do only that. It also prevents a single player from winning the game for him or herself by being a holdout. While Moderators choose (before game, preferably) whether the Helicopter Mission will end the game entirely or just rescue the successful participants (and allow the game to peter out a la “classic style”), either decision negates the “victory” of that lonewolf. Not that things should get to that point: by forcing players to accomplish missions in order to unlock a victory opportunity, you may find that a strong sense of teamwork becomes part of your players’ culture. While this is to be tested in the wild, here at the Studio we believe this will give more incentive for casual players to join in with hardcore Humans and for the most intense Resistance members to reach out and build the necessary relationships with less committed participants.

The application of the Mission Tree appears to prevent player-side problems and encourage even more teamwork than a classic game of HvZ, but does it prevent Moderator-induced difficulties also? With perhaps a change of culture on the parts of those Mods, yes. Just by implementing a framework for game design does not stop a Mod from suddenly inventing a Cafeteria Tray of Invulnerability or some such On-The-Fly Moderating nonsense. But with a little preparation before the game begins, there becomes less of a need to chaperone Humans during missions, less opportunity to intervene out of pity or “fairness,” and an emphasis on well-designed, well-explained missions posted for all to see. Missions should be viewable to players well before-hand so that they (some, at least) have time to plan their routes to a mission area and avoid the need to be bailed out by a Moderator for the sake of “fairness.” The players’ fates are in their own hands if they are given the guide to winning the game at the outset and left to their own devices with how to do it.

Finally, the use of a Mission Tree practically eliminates the need for Chaperone Moderation. With a Tree in place, the game runs itself with Moderators being used for, well, moderating and ensuring that mission objectives have been successfully met. That’s it. Their jobs are hard and hectic enough; the Mission Tree reduces their workload, focuses their attention, and increases their efficacy. This game style does not, however, limit the storyline of a game. It does make integrated plots determined more by the timing of the Resistance, however. Instead of Moderators having the leisure of adding in story elements at their leisure, particular care will have to be given to keep up with the potentially swift pace of the Humans completing their missions. (There are ways to slow the game down subtly, in a very ‘hands off’ sort of way such as by restricting the attempts at a mission to specific times of day. In this way, you can pace a Tree so that, if done perfectly, will take a minimum amount of time to complete and so will not be able to be finished in a single day.) Right now, Moderators tend to own the game. It’s their plot, their missions, their wouldn’t-it-be-cool-if ideas. But players want to own the game. So do the right thing and give it back to them.

Remember though, those mission conditions have to be defined clearly. Like Windex clear. It is our suggestion that the Mission Tree be posted in an open safezone, such as a cafeteria, well before the start of the game. It could also be put online on your game’s website if you have one. Below/linked from each Mission on the Tree should be a detailed description of what is supposed to occur at each mission and under what conditions the mission will be considered “complete.” If a mission is not completed, the Mods may choose to reset the objective or leave the objective half completed and available for another set of Humans to attempt it. This is where Moderators with good acumen (that’s a GRE word, go look it up) come in. While you may be able to get away with some “minigame” missions such as a timed King of the Hill mission where a moderator will need to be present, the most compatible missions are ones where there is evidence of the effort. Let’s say an objective is to build an 8-foot tall windmill with free spinning blades at a certain location that can only be assembled onsite between 6 am and 6 pm. The windmill is either there or it’s not. It is best missions that use binaries like this. In this way, Moderators and players can easily keep track of their progress down the Tree.

Part 3: One More Time
Believe it or not, there are fundamental flaws to the World’s Greatest Game Humans Versus Zombies. But through careful pre-planning and a new approach to the game, Moderators can effectively reduce the effort they put in to pushing the game along and have more time to focus on setting up later missions, plot events or theatrics, and-oh yeah- moderating any complaints from the players. Mods have enough work to do. On-the-fly mission design, a strategy of game-running that makes virtually no one happy, should become a thing of the past except in the rarest and most unforeseen situations. Because the onus for well-designed missions is shifted to the pre-game phase then, Moderators would be wise to prepare and rehearse fair, completeable missions before the game begins and to inspect their descriptions for loopholes and ambiguities. Once a sound Mission Tree is implemented, the risk of self-centered players ruining the game is essentially eliminated, players are more inclined to work together and take responsibility for their planning and actions, and the Humans’ game is transformed from a “wait and win” game to one where participation paves the road to salvation.
The Mission Tree is not an end-all solution. Throughout this article I have referenced multiple times where the Tree should encourage a certain kind of stance Moderators should affect: one of steadfast adherence to a well-designed, achievable game-plan reviewed and designed well ahead of time. They should be rather hands-off when it comes to missions. The Humans are supposed to be fighting for survival and not complaining to Moderators to get them out of a sticky situation. There will be exceptions. I have discovered that we are human after all, and to achieve a more aerodynamic game of Humans Versus Zombies, Moderators should implement a well-designed Mission tree to make their games lighter, stronger, smoother… and better.

Resistance Schmesistance

-Adam Longwill

There’s tons more info on their site and guidebook.

Currently, the following schools have expressed interest. They are currently getting rosters from these schools and all of that should be solidified by March-ish.
- SUNY Binghamton
- Bowling Green
- Ithaca
- Goucher
- Ohio Northern
- Penn State Brandywine
- Slippery Rock
- University of Pittsburgh

If you aren’t listed above and are planning to attend, please have a single representative from your school email john.mortara@urbangaming.org.

We just set up an amazon store. Also, let us know if there is anything that you would like to see on there.

Thanks,
The HvZ team

[...] What happened during Humans versus Zombies was interesting, unexpected and wholly incredible: A disparate group of people from all social circles and points of interest collaborated and played a game together. I met people with whom I’d have no occasion to talk were it not for this game, and I think that I’ll do a decent job of staying in touch with them.

Leaders rose to the top. Consider the sociology of this: In a completely arbitrary environment, people rose to positions of leadership based not on income or popularity or looks, but on raw ability to adapt and excel in a game nobody had played before.

These people are the people we want to be politicians. They’ve shown they have the goods, in whatever geeky (but completely awesome) way you like, and they’ve shown a remarkable ability to adapt. Crazy how fun imitates life.

Legends grew. I’m sure everyone who reads this knows the name, if not the face, of sophomore Nick Spengler, the man who, it is said (probably incorrectly) wrapped socks around his hands and beat the zombies back with bare fists. You know of sophomore Mike Lanni, who wore a Spartan helmet to the final battle and kicked ass and took names until the last moments of battle. And you’ve heard of junior Darrin Policar, the pirate captain of the zombies. Seriously, within one week, we created a mythology.

Most importantly, in a “life” or “undeath” struggle, we realized what it takes to stay “alive.” We learned, by necessity, to work in groups, either human or zombie. We walked around campus with a healthy eye for what was going on and, in the words of fellow player and sophomore Kate Hayden, we took part in a “delightful exercise in situational awareness.”

Thanks, Aaron! That’s why we love Humans vs. Zombies too.