Ackland Defense Plan
For those of us not affiliated with any particular group (and especially for those of us who are new to the game), it is probably a worthy idea to explain how to defend Ackland Mall at this point. Two zombie abilities added by Kevan (the game's producer) have made defending Malls considerably more difficult. The first of these is Ransack. The second is the fact that the Malls are no longer self-contained sectors...once you're in the Mall, you can freely walk from one quad to another without the Free Running skill.
The ONLY hope for survivors is to keep zombies out of the mall. The barricades are literally the only device keeping us alive, because a horde of zombies can easily overpower a group of humans in combat. It takes more action points to tear down a barricade than it does to build one up.
Conventional zombie tactics dictate that they focus all of their efforts on a single sector of the Mall. Once they destroy the barricades there, they flow in like a tide of undeath and start attempting to kill every human in that sector. They are going for the Ransack (which they cannot do so long as any survivors remain alive in the sector). If they succeed in killing everyone in that particular part of the Mall, they will ransack it. Ransacking prevents barricades from being re-established until the ransacked sector is repaired...and repairs cannot be made until all zombies in the sector are dead. But it is difficult to clear a ransacked Mall sector because new zombies are shambling in from the street all the time (because there's no barricade to stop them). Translation: If ANY part of the Mall becomes ransacked, then the Mall's collapse is imminent, so long as the zombies press the attack.
To this end, Ackland Mall requests that visitors distribute themselves evenly across all four quadrants of the Mall, so that no point is weaker than the others. In the event of a breakthrough in YOUR Quad, do not panic! Remember this phrase: Barricade, Heal, Shoot, Dump. You are to do each of these things in that order.
BARRICADE FIRST!: Barricades are the most critical part of the defensive process. If your barricades are down, bring them back up. If there are zombies standing in the room with you, IGNORE THEM....get the barricades back up first! If the barricades remain down for any extended length of time, our doom is at hand.
HEAL NEXT!: Barricades secure? Good. Look around you. Are you injured? Is anyone else injured? If anyone appears to be under attack by zombies, or is near death, heal them. If you are injured, heal yourself. Do zombies in your part of the Mall outnumber humans? Send out an alert (either by radio or word of mouth) to the other Mall quads. State quickly how many zeds are in your Quad and that you need reinforcements.
SHOOT NOW!: Okay, now shoot the zombies. I personally keep numerous loaded shotguns and pistols upon my person just so that I can lay down a barrage of firepower on a zombie break-in without having to stop to reload.
DUMP 'EM!: Once a zombie dies, IMMEDIATELY DUMP THE BODY! A lot of zombies will stand right back up after dying. If they do so, then they rise again with full health...and all of your shooting was for naught. Remember, your guns offer only a limited defense against the zeds...you're shooting at them only to drop them and fling their lifeless bodies out the windows, where they can do no further harm to your fellow humans. You're not shooting at them for the sake of shooting at them.
REVIVES: In the event that you fall in defense of the Mall, do not despair. Request a revive on http://ud-malton.info/revive_requests.cgi . AMS makes use of the cemetery located at 31, 47 as a revive point. We ask any survivors with Necrotech experience and supplies to contribute to the revivification efforts.
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR REVIVERS: There are a significant number of PKers who are getting revived at the Havercroft revive points. Before you revive anyone, please make sure to do a DNA scan on them and compare their name to the Rogue's Gallery list! If they have a criminal record, DO NOT REVIVE THEM. Reviving PKers allows them to continue their murderous rampage, and forces local police to search for them (rather than defending safehouses). Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated.
Follow these guidelines, and enjoy your stay at Ackland Mall, situated in beautiful Havercroft.
Tarumigan Gistarai, Ackland Mall Security
