User:Kirsty cotton/sandtrap

Survivor NT Siege Strategy

Requirements

• survivors
• generators and fuel
• FAKs
• syringes (DNA extractors)

The number of survivors needed depends heavily on the size of the horde being faced and the ability of the survivors to coordinate. Unorganized survivors are basically meatshields, little should be expected of them, but they can still be a useful asset in large enough numbers. Organized survivors, those with a common command, can be further divided into coordinated and just organized. Coordinated survivors will be able communicate in real time in IRC, ideally being available at a certain time each day. Organized survivors can be given specific orders on a forum but are not available in IRC. Organized survivors will be used for activities not requiring coordination, clearing small breaches, barricading, revives.

You should have a minimum of a couple of generators and fuel for each day you hope to survive. They should be spread out between multiple survivors to minimize the inventory loss of any one user and to help ensure one is available when needed. The only generators that count toward this goal are those in the inventory of survivors who can coordinate. Generators don't last long and should only be used for either timed searches are strikes. Generators should always be repaired if damaged.

Everyone should be able to keep themselves free of infection. Ideally a few organized (but not coordinated) survivors can be chosen to have an excessively large number of FAKs for healing following a breach. FAKs, like generators, may be basically a finite resource and should be used as though what a survivor carries is all they will have. Coordinated survivors especially should save their FAKs for self-healing.

Syringes are an obvious need. Every survivor should be able to provide 2 AP cycles worth of revives without searching,10 syringes. Ideally, syringes will take all inventory not generators/fuel and FAKs. Survivors dedicated to revives will want an inventory full of syringes and will probably want a DNA extractor as well.

What you need to do

• Watch barricades/generator
• Provide revives
• Clear breaches
• Communicate

All survivors should make barricades a priority unless barricade blocking makes it inefficient. Coordinated survivors who can log-on multiple times a day, throughout the day should be responsible for checking the barricades and keeping them from falling, attempt to assign times, so you can be sure barricades are checked. They should to be able to get the barricades back to VSB or more and notify other survivors if there is a breach and the need for barricades. These survivors should attempt to save AP as much as possible.

Survivors should keep revive wait times as short as possible. Organized survivors should be given preference for revives. Most organized, but not coordinated, survivors should be providing revives if there are no other immediate needs. Unorganized survivors can provide revives but will be less effective. Revives are a very important aspect of the siege, but they are not something that benefits from coordination. As much as possible coordinated survivors should not be performing revives unless it will be of direct benefit. It may be best to use a ruined indoor revive point, to ensure access for revived survivors.

Breaches are going to occur, most likely on a routine basis. If the breach is such that it cannot be addressed by the available survivors, meaning cleared (or nearly cleared) and barricaded back, it will be necessary to rely on a strike to clear the building. Anyone who can wait for the strike should wait, others should either provide revives or attempt combat revives, if there is a generator, and barricading.

Communication is what differentiates a buffet from a successful siege. Communication should have the goal of informing the greatest number of survivors with the most useful information. In order to accomplish this, there will need to be multiple forms of communication taking advantage of both in-game and meta sources. Communication should be began well in advance of the siege, as survivors will need to be well supplied when the siege begins.

Tactics

• Contact listing
• Priorities
• Assigned survivors
• Clearing a breach

The value of using the contact list cannot be overstated. All organized survivors should have each other listed prior to the siege. Other survivors should be added as they are identified. Unorganized survivors should be encouraged in-game to make use of their contact list. Contacting listing zombies can help identify those that are more active, part of a strike team or dual nature. This can be achieved by using the "Since your last turn" screen. Additionally, it may be helpful to have a dead survivor stand with the zombies to get any profiles of zombies who speak or gesture. Initially contacts should be colored: organized, unorganized, zombie. As the siege progresses: smarter unorganized survivors should be noted, highly active zombies should be noted, those without brain rot, dual nature; should be noted with different colors. A basic contact list should be publicly available.

Survivors will need to be to make smart decisions; however, generally survivors should prioritize as follows:

If barricades are up

1. repair generator
2. dump bodies (since some may not have been revived)
3. combat revive
4. check the cades/cade to EHB
5. provide FAKs/revives
6. provide revives
7. dump bodies

If barricades are down with a small number of zombies (7 or less)

1. repair generator/drop and fuel generator
2. combat revive
3. cade to EHB
4. dump bodies

If barricades are down with a large number of zombies (more than 7)

1. repair generator
2. wait for a strike if able
3. provide revives/FAKs

Some coordinated survivors will be assigned tasks, either strike times or barricade duty. Those survivors should only use AP for the assigned task, aside from the occasional generator repair. These survivors will be counted on to be available for their assigned task and with full or nearly full AP. Most survivors will not be assigned tasks, but should still check IRC if able. Survivors assigned specific tasks should be given the highest priority on revives; however, it should not be publicly announced who these survivors are.

Clearing a breach is relatively easy with sufficient AP. The strategy is the same for both an individual or a group:

1. Repair/drop and fuel generator
2. combat revive
3. cade
4. dump

The difference is that a group will need to do some planning in IRC in advance of the strike. A single survivor should be assigned to drop and fuel the generator. Survivors should be given a certain number of revives to perform and some maybe asked to wait and save AP for barricades. The exact strategy will depend on the number of available survivors and survivor AP versus the number of zombies.

Tools

• forum
• IRC
• in-game communication

A common forum must be available that all organized survivors can directly access. A public revive thread should be provided. Additionally, a private board for specific information should be available. This is for discussion of upcoming strikes, whether revives are heavily needed or any other information that may be useful. The board should be updated frequently even if little has changed but should attempt to avoid very short-term information such as barricade levels.

IRC is a key resource for a siege. It allows communication of barricade levels, breaches, planning of strikes, all in real time with no AP cost. There should ideally be two IRC channels: one for public, including zombie use, and one, password protected, for known survivors. Leaders or their representatives should be available as much as possible, although certainly one should be at each strike time. This can be used be to recruit unorganized survivors into organized or even coordinated survivors.

Survivors are a fickle lot. The leadership needs to stay active and stay vocal in-game. Keep everyone on task as to what the most pressing needs are. When/if the RP is clear let everyone know. If the barricades keep dropping every few minutes say so. However, remember to encourage and congratulate everyone after a breach is cleared or the barricades stay up for a while. The leadership is probably going to die often, once the zombies identify them. That is just part of the job, get a revive and get back to dying.

Other things to consider

• PKers/death cultists
• Zombies
• Other tactics

In the case of a siege, there is little reason to worry with PKers. If they go to a revive point, skip them. As for death cultists or PKers willing to help the horde, they should be revived. Individual deaths are not important in a siege. What is important is keeping barricades up as much as possible and keeping zombies out.

Remember that zombies are other players with their own goal. They may or may not continue activities that fail, but they will constantly be looking for an advantage or tactic that will swing the siege to favor them. There are unorganized, organized and coordinated zombies just as there are survivors. The same rules apply, coordinated zombies are the biggest threat and should be kept revived as much as possible. Unorganized or feral zombies are the least threat, but may switch sides if revived.

This is not an all-encompassing strategy. It is a foundation on which further thought and planning can be performed to prolong survival during a siege situation. Survivors must be willing to change and modify tactics as it becomes obvious better options become available. Before attempting to organize a siege, it would be beneficial to have knowledge of a variety of survivor and zombie tactics.