Characters are real people. They have a first name and a last name. Only the combination must be unique. They are human. The game should mimic some of the more advanced model deformation character creators. The game would have sliders for height, build, fitness, skin color, hair color, etc. It should have a detailed facial builder. Clothing style, and hair style should be based on large lists of possibilities Clothing color should be selectable. (For a good examples of a character generator, look at Uru: Ages Beyond Myst., Second Life, and the portrait generator for Eve) There are no skills, abilities or stats. Everyone is human, and humans are generally the same.

A character starts by waking up. They are alone in a room in an empty house. Other than the fact that the player knows they are playing a zombie game, there's nothing to clue them in to what happens next. It's assumed that the player will start exploring randomly until they start to realize their situation. (People playing subsequent characters would already know what items were available here and have a general idea of how to quickly proceed.) After finding the area infested by zombies, the character would look for a makeshift weapon for offensive power, and friends for defensive power. The game is about survival. The "first day" is about running away from the zombies. There's no other goal. This can be scripted to a point. There can be random NPCs calling for help, offering assistance, begging for favors. These would be the equivalent of quests.

There is no formal grouping in the game. Whoever you are near is your group. Group communication is done through proximity chat channels. (/say, /yell). Person to person communication is done through cell phones which are standard equipment (/tell). Being around other characters has the natural advantage of someone to watch your back, and the traditional bonus of 'two heads.' Some goals can only be accomplished with the help of others, but the main goal (survival) is a solo responsibility.

Most of the game will be played out from a base. It could be a small base with intimate cooperation, or a large base with the benefits and problems that those cause. Bases provide a save haven from the zombie. They also require supplies for upkeep, as do the characters themselves. Gameplay consists mainly of building/repairing the base, gathering supplies, looking for help, and battling the zombies that are constantly trying to devour you.

Inventory would be extremely limited. A sack for small items. (Food, ammunition, supplies.) Three or four "hard-points" (for lack of a better word) for keeping weildable objects, (weapons, tools, etc). There would also be clothing and accessories. Very little of this would provide any protection or benefit, but would instead be part of increasing the appeal of your character. The more interesting you make your character, the more likely you are to have people want to help you. Large objects would be 'one at a time' and carried with a 'drag' animation. This would be things like large boards or building materials, or crates of supplies or food. Some large objects may require multiple people to drag them. While you're dragging something, your movement is severely reduced, and you can't use your 'items.' It helps to have an escort

The world must be incredibly interactive. Most things should be 'objects' that can be picked up, used, moved. You use what's available. This doesn't have to be an amazing physics simulation. Just objectifying the decorations. Players will be building forts by dragging things (boards, sofa's, bicycles) from wherever they are found and making a barrier to keep the zombies at bay. This isn't something that has been done in a MMORPG engine, only specialized FPS's. It's required for this concept to work.