Video Camera

This item was new and exclusive only to Monroeville from 25th February 2008 onwards. As part of the promotion of "Diary Of The Dead" these video cameras (once obtained) could be used to film a "Diary" of important events and locations observed by the character carrying it. As of April 4th 2008 this functionality has been disabled.

Obtaining a Video Camera

All Consumer civilian survivors start with one, others could be found at Mall Tech stores - chance appears to be low, approx 1-2% (unknown if still available in malls)

Encumbrance: 2%

Operating Your Video Camera

Once the survivor has a video camera all it takes to film a "clip" is to press the "Video Camera" icon in your survivors inventory. This costs 1 AP. If the location contains a sufficiently interesting feature or unique event, an icon is saved to your Diary Page (Monroeville survivors have an extra icon below their map panel for their Diary) which keeps track of all the clips and when/where they occurred.

Note: Filming clips of no interest or duplicates of clips you have already obtained would still result in the loss of 1AP.

As of 2nd April 2008 attempting to operate the video camera in an unpowered location would produce the following message:

The batteries are dead.

If you attempt to use the camera in a powered building you get the following message:

The batteries are dead. Although there's a generator here, you don't have a charger cable.

Kevan has stated that there are no charger cables - the message is just flavour (see talk page).

Auto-filming

Once the video camera was activated, events that occur when you are at a location are recorded to your Diary whether you are signed in or not. They are even recorded if you become a zombie.

Diaries

main article: Diaries

The URL of your Diary page can be posted anywhere you like to show off your reporting skills to anyone. The Talk:Diaries has a "Share Your Diaries" section expressly for this.

Competition

See full FAQ below:

A total of 30 different event/location "clips" were available to film. They are listed here.

Submitting Your Diaries

(taken from the Diary page on a characters interface)

If you're in the United Kingdom, you can enter your character's diary into the Diary of the Dead competition. We've got five Romero DVD box sets and ten limited edition posters to give away, and they'll go to the owners of the characters who've taken the most clips, in a draw on the 20th of March 2008.

You don't need to finish your video before you can enter the competition - just click the button, and carry on playing.

The Diary of the Dead competition is only open to UK residents aged 18 and over. Overseas entrants are not eligible. The players responsible for the five diaries with most clips at 12:00pm on the 20th of March will receive DVD box sets; the ten below them will receive limited edition posters. In the event of a tie, winners will be selected randomly from those tied. Where a player submits multiple character diaries, only their highest-rated entry will be considered for the competition. Winners will be contacted by email after the 20th of March, and asked to provide their postal address.

• Once you click the 'Enter Competition' button you get the following message:

"You have entered the competition. If XXX is among the fifteen characters with the most clips at 12:00pm on the 20th of March, you'll be in with a chance of winning a George Romero DVD box set, and will be contacted by email if you're a winner."

• Competition closed 20th March 2008.

Urban Dead FAQ Entry

The following is quoted verbatim from the official Urban Dead FAQ:

How do video diaries work?

Characters on the limited-edition Monroeville map have access to video cameras, which can be used to record diaries of the locations and events they encounter. The "Consumer" class starts with a camera; others must loot them from shopping malls.

By clicking on the camera's button in your inventory, your character will attempt to film anything interesting in their environment, such as a landmark or a zombie horde. Your character will also film notable events automatically, even if they occur while you are logged out.

All the clips you take are collected on your "Diary" page, which is linked a button under the map. You can share this URL with other people, if you want to show off your work.

Players in the United Kingdom will be able to enter their video diaries into a competition, with a number of Romero DVD box sets and goodie packs up for grabs. Watch this space for further details.

Players over 18 in the United Kingdom will be able to enter their video diaries into a competition, with a number of Romero DVD box sets and limited-edition posters being up for grabs. The characters with the most clips in their video diaries will win prizes in a draw on the 20th of March.