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If you take all the rules of this universe in account - like "all humans turn, no matter how they die", "walkers do not weaken/starve/die off over time", constant fighting between survivors for various reasons and enormous zombie-to-human ratio (as mentioned here, it is 5000 to 1), it seems almost impossible for humanity to ever win in this scenario.

Even if humans somehow manage to survive with scarce resources and start clearing the walkers from the face of the Earth with little to no casualties, in the end all of them will still turn simply because of dying for natural reasons. Reproduction won't be high enough - every next generation will be smaller than the previous due to highly dangerous environment and constant zombies reinforcements, and eventually humans will just go extinct.

Was it the author's thought from the beginning - that this really is the end of the world and that humanity's doomed or are there some possibilites for winning and rebuilding in this situation?

Edit: So, I forgot to clarify that brain trauma is an exception in "all humans turn, no matter how they die", but still - for walker reinforcement to stop you'll need to crush every single skull of a recently dead person, which isn't always possible (remember those stories when "we had a camp, but one of us got bit or died, we overlooked it and boom - everyone's eaten" - there are always risks).

As for "weakening over time" - yes, they do become more soft and even "jelly" (as evidenced in TV series) over time, but what I meant was this: zombies do not lose any offensive capabilites, they don't become slower or less deadly in 1/5/10 years, and with all "zombie rules" like no need for food, oxygen and so on in order, they're basically immortal (before they get an axe to the head, that is). And the main problem - all zombies need to be eliminated, waiting it all out won't work, and eventually everyone remaining will turn anyway (if no cure is produced), so there are quite few, if any, winning scenarios.

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AngrySquid
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    Note: I understand why people might think this is opinion based, but I don't think it is. I can't look it up now, but I believe TWD creator Robert Kirkman has commented on issues like this in the past, so a word of god answer may very well exist – Wad Cheber Mar 28 '16 at 23:15
  • Are we including the possibility of a cure, or a WMD that affects walkers and not humans? – Adamant Mar 29 '16 at 00:00
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    If not, they should probably make their time. – Adamant Mar 29 '16 at 00:01
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    Humanity in that universe could survive..if the humans weren't idiots. ie, they consider "Hey, bullets are a finite resource, we should try making some" to be "thinking outside the box". – Liesmith Mar 29 '16 at 02:42
  • @Jonah I think finding a cure would be a top priority for survivors, but there are two things: – AngrySquid Mar 29 '16 at 07:04
  • @Jonah a) recearch centers and scientists are in short supply now, so finding a cure could take decades; and b) the more time passes, the worse situation gets, which gives humans even less time to produce a cure, which probably can't be completed in time (since all organized intutitions have fallen, and it's up to a bunch of civilians to come up with something, really soon) – AngrySquid Mar 29 '16 at 07:15
  • I slightly dispute the "constant reinforcements" argument. Most people who die are either a)completely consumed by walkers or b) their companions put them down so they do not become walkers, or if they do turn, do not last as walkers for long. – The Giant of Lannister Mar 29 '16 at 08:59
  • I fear (get it?!) you may be starting with a false premise (or at least a poorly worded one). "All humans turn, no matter how they die", "walkers do not weaken/starve/die off over time" Human who die of head trauma do not turn, and the zombies are obviously rotting, with would imply a weakening. – Meat Trademark Mar 29 '16 at 16:22
  • @MeatTrademark also I thought that walkers DID weaken over time. I'm sure the creators clarified that walkers that had been "undead" for only a short time were harder to kill. Over time, walkers' bodies lose their integrity and it becomes e.g. easier to penetrate the skull with a knife. – The Giant of Lannister Mar 29 '16 at 17:14
  • @Meat Trademark, The Giant of Lannister, you're right, I should have been more clear. Added some clarificatons. – AngrySquid Mar 29 '16 at 19:23
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    @RobertKirman has stated that TWD is a show about Social Interactions during the Apocalipse, not an undead uprising (He considered writing Nuclear disaster stories instead of TWD); He said that he doesn't want to put sci-fi in it (like with a cure) because that would not be his vision. With that said, it doesn't mean that it will never happen, but it's unlikely, at least for now. – Oak Mar 29 '16 at 19:26
  • I've often wondered this - why do they even bother? Even if they survive short term, there are zero long term chances for them. If they live long enough to die of old age, there is no significant birth rate to repopulate. Humanity is absolutely 100% doomed in TWD. – JK. Mar 29 '16 at 22:23
  • @AngrySquid Where do you get the idea that the zombies "don't become slower or less deadly in 1/5/10 years?" I forget the book's timeline, but for the show, it's only been about two years. (Sure, the actors' aging betrays this, but that can't be helped.) – Meat Trademark Mar 30 '16 at 07:49

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