Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Reviews

    Dawn of the Zombie Outbreak Simulator

    By
    Jim Rapoza
    -
    January 8, 2010
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Click here to see screenshots
      zombie.png
      One of the common things that computers are used for is statistical simulations. All around the world computers are being used to simulate everything from weather patterns to commuter traffic.

      So I was glad to see that technology was being put to use to simulate another important area of research, namely, a zombie apocalypse.

      The Zombie Outbreak Simulator is a simple Flash application that lets one simulate zombies overrunning a neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The simulator, created by Binary Space Games, is a simple Web application that uses small moving icons of civilians, police and, of course, crazed zombies to show the potential outcomes of a zombie infestation.

      As a huge fan of the whole zombie genre, from the movies to the games to the books, the Zombie Outbreak Simulator has provided me with hours of enjoyment.

      One of the best parts of the Zombie Outbreak Simulator is the ability to customize different aspects of the zombie outbreak, from numbers of civilians and how well-armed they are to the rate of zombie infection to the speed of the zombies themselves. Once these options are configured, you just sit back and watch a wave of zombies overrun the District.

      Depending on the options chosen, a zombie outbreak can be fairly quick or take some time. For example, a classic Night of the Living Dead outbreak (well-armed populace, moderate rate of infection, really slow zombies) took over 40 minutes until the zombies took control. On the other side of the spectrum, a 28 Days Later-style apocalypse (poorly armed civilians, quick infection rate and very fast zombies–sorry, infecteds) had my map awash in zombies in about 16 minutes.

      Since it isn’t really a game requiring attention, it was easy to open the Zombie Outbreak Simulator in a browser window, do other stuff on my computer, and occasionally check back to see how the zombie apocalypse was progressing. A small corner map provided a big picture of the neighborhood being affected and let me zoom into specific neighborhoods to watch the zombies invade while tiny blue police and green civilians did their best to stem the zombie tide.

      Of course, like most free things on the Web, the Zombie Outbreak Simulator is awash in fairly annoying ads and is basically a teaser for something else (in this case a fully playable zombie game that Binary Space Games is working on).

      But I think any fan of zombie movies and games will get a kick out of the Zombie Outbreak Simulator.

      And remember, doing statistical simulations is good for your brain.

      Mmmmm. Brraaiiinns.

      Avatar
      Jim Rapoza
      Jim Rapoza, Chief Technology Analyst, eWEEK.For nearly fifteen years, Jim Rapoza has evaluated products and technologies in almost every technology category for eWEEK. Mr Rapoza's current technology focus is on all categories of emerging information technology though he continues to focus on core technology areas that include: content management systems, portal applications, Web publishing tools and security. Mr. Rapoza has coordinated several evaluations at enterprise organizations, including USA Today and The Prudential, to measure the capability of products and services under real-world conditions and against real-world criteria. Jim Rapoza's award-winning weekly column, Tech Directions, delves into all areas of technologies and the challenges of managing and deploying technology today.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      eWeek


      Contact Us | About | Sitemap

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Information

      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×