Retake And Repopulate
| Survivor Tactics |
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Draft for a new tactic: Retake and Repopulate
This is a draft of a survivor tactic that can be used alongside with HIPS, River Tactics and Rat Tactics in the event of a serious imbalance in numbers toward zombies, like the one we're having now (as March 2008), with almost all suburbs in Red or Ghost Zone, almost all buildings Ruined and only about 30% population alive. Given this situation, and to preserve the continuity and fun of the game, measures should be taken to restore Equilibrium, the balance in numbers between survivors and zombies, through trans-mortal tactics
This tactic uses parts of Barricade Strafing and Fertilize the Land.
This is a combative approach. Depending on the number of survivors, available TRPs and active survivor groups in the suburb, the optimum strategy may change. I suggest the use of River Tactics when a horde comes, Rat Tactics and HIPS until they go away, and then use this tactic to reclaim the suburb for survivors. This tactic assumes that the suburb is mostly Ruined, that there are designated Revive Points available in the suburb or adjacent suburbs, and that survivors in zombie form will congregate in them waiting for revives, while using metagaming tools like the [DEM Request Tool].
The purpose of this tactic is to help survivors keep alive once revived. It advocates repairing Ruins and barricading buildings as decoys and starting safehouses for the use of the recently revived, while they restock and in turn help reviving more survivors. This way feral zombies are mostly neutralized, and even megahordes like The Dead will have less impact, since time lapse until suburb restoration will be shorter.
The summary of this tactic is:
- Be a dedicated revivifier while survivor.
- Once revived... Pay forward if you can.
- Repair ruins -> Have a toolbox
- Barricade buildings, but don't sleep in them
- Help survivors while zombie.
- Once a suburb is retaken, move to another, until Equilibrium is achieved.
While survivor, revive.
Select a RP and tend to it. Stock on syringes any time you can. Don't combat-revive unless it's an NT building on stake, by Fertilize The Land Policy. While you're reviving, you can recruit help from some of the survivors that are currently in zombie form and waiting in the RP, telling them about this tactic. The TinyURL is http://tinyurl.com/yojbmz. After all, if somebody is waiting in a Revive Point, exception make for the usual rotter, it's likely to be a survivor. If you tell him/her how to help the survivors cause, (s)he will probably make some effort, if only to be revived sooner. Note that this would serve best in long (about 50 zombies waiting) and slow Revive Points, where survivors often have to wait for days for a revive, even when using the [| DEM Request Tool]. Don't forget to tell/spraypaint often the TinyUrl for this tool: http://tinyurl.com/zmmas. Remember: Reviving willing survivors is the first priority, and the most efficient way to help the survivor cause. If you can spare a couple of AP on your way there, check if there are empty ruined building that you can repair. Don't ignore the possibility of Suicide Reviving, as it's by far the most AP-efficient way to revive if you have more than 5 needles, the queue is long and there are other dedicated revivers. Remember that you can also repair ruins on your way to/from the NT building you use to restock, potentially opening a Free Run pathway.
Once revived...
Pay forward if you can, cure your infection if present, and if possible, check the ruined buildings around the RP. If following this tactic, they have a high probability of being empty or with weakened zombies (See point 5). Repair them, and then use your remaining AP to hide and restock. Remember to check the DEM Request Tool periodically to help other unfortunates.
Repair ruins.
First thing to do once you are of level >3, get a Toolbox (to use it you'll need the Construction skill). To get a Toolbox, I recommend searching the Malls's Hardware Stores, even if they're ruined there is a strong chance that you will get one in less than 10 searches, while potentially obtaining other useful items. It only takes 1 survivor and 1 AP to repair a ruin devoid of zombies, and zombies need 6AP to ruin it again, so it's at least as efficient as Headshot. Every time you find an empty ruin, repair it. If it's a NT building, you can even resort to Combat Revive to clean and repair it. If you are alone, don't start attacking zombies to clear a ruin unless it's a loner, and even with that, if you can't kill it with 2-3 shots, it's not worth the AP cost (See point 5). Make sure you repair older ruined buildings first, because the cost for repairing them will skyrocket with time, making an unachievable objective for a freelance survivor to restore them. Scout around you, find that building that will need 23 AP to restore, and make it your first objective for the day, when you're freshly rested (50 AP). Even if it's going to be ruined again in 24 hours, you've just saved the next repairing squad a lot of trouble. Don't do this if there are still useful recoverable (empty/only 1 zombie inside) buildings out there, specially TRPs. Also, don't lose time repairing Dark buildings until they are the last ones: they are useful hiding spots for survivors using Hiding in Plain Sight
Barricade ALL non-ruined buildings, especially non-TRP.
As per Barricade Strafing tactics, the more barricaded buildings, the more AP zombies have to spend, just to check if there are survivors inside. In fact, the most efficient way to do this is to barricade until QS++ (almost 100% probability, you can check in Barricades). Since zombies have to spend 3-4 AP destroying barricades per AP survivors spend building them, it's a cost-efficient way to distract and deplete its resources. It should be noted that unless there's enough numbers of organized survivors to maintain them (and we're assuming there isn't) barricaded buildings should be used only as decoys for zombies to spend APs on, not to be slept in. These barricades buildings attract the attention of zombies, and give survivors sleeping in ruins a plus in security.
While zombie, help survivors.
This is the optional part. Even if you usually play as a Dual_Nature character, by following this tactic you probably reckon this is time to search for Equilibrium. ¿How to help survivors? Heed their requests as you are waiting in a Revive Point, and help fellow survivors retake buildings, specially ruins. I'd like to point that a zombie with the adequate skills (Ankle Grab, Death Grip, Rend flesh and Tangling Grasp, in that order, is the perfect fighting machine, because it can inflict the most harm with the least AP (see here, here and here). So, why waste good AP's while waiting a few hours for a revive?
To help survivors retake buildings, you can attack other zombies that are occupying ruins. DON'T kill them, because they will just stand up again for 1AP. What you want is not to kill, but to force them to move. If they are weakened to 4 or less HP, they are risking a Headshot in one attack. If they remain where they are, some survivor will come, headshoot, dump and repair, and survivors will have scored a point. If they leave to be killed by other zombies so they can rise again with full health, they spend AP and leave their post, so some survivor can get in and repair the ruin without having to kill and dump. So either way, weakening zombies inside ruins you are helping your survivor friends. Once you have weakened the enemy zombie to the desired level or it has fled, get out of the building so you aren't attacked. If you are attacked by another zombie while weakening, retreat at once, it could be another survivor or friendly zombie. Check again some minutes later. Remember to save some AP to get back to the RP. Leave weakened zombies at exactly 4HP if you can, that way they will die from a Pistol shot even if they have a Flak Jacket (which they'll have), but if another friendy zombie from the RP attacks it by coincidence, it still won't kill them.
To those who say "I will spend AP this way that I would be able to use as a survivor later" I will remember that, for the time being, you are a zombie, and if the RP is full a few hours will pass until you are revived. You will the recover your AP. And by following this advice, you save AP for the reviving/repairing survivors, which in this moment is more valuable than zombie AP, because it can be used also in revives.
That's almost all. Post comments in the discussion page so we can polish it with experience from the Real World (or real Malton, for all things :)).
