Safehouses

This is the article for the in-game safehouse function. For the glossary article on safehouses see Safehouses (Glossary).

As per the 16 August, 2010 Update:

• Survivors and zombies alike are finding it easier to navigate the familiar wreckage of the city streets. Survivors can get directions to a nominated safehouse; zombies automatically focus on the most recent groan or scent trail.

• Settling in for the long haul, some survivors have been modifying and memorising their safehouses. Those able to scout a safehouse can spend 30AP to survey the building, giving them approximately 5 extra AP per day within their nominated safehouse, until they die or the safehouse is ruined.

Setting a Safehouse

Survivors (but not zombies) have the option to select a building as a Safehouse, memorizing its location. From that point on, directions back to the safehouse are displayed below the minimap. Because you can always find your way there, this helps ensure that you are not caught outside when running out of Action Points (AP).

When you create a new character, the building you start out in is automatically set as your safehouse. Characters who were created before August 10, 2010 were not given a default, and therefore have no safehouse until they choose one.

It should be noted that you do not need to possess the Scout Safehouse skill in order to set a safehouse.

To set your safehouse click the "Set Here" button below the mini map. This automatically makes the current location your safehouse. Curiously, you can be outside a location or even in an empty street. This costs 1 AP. You will then receive a message stating You familiarise yourself with the building. (or Location if outside).

Your safehouse can be changed and set:

• Several times in the same day.
• Even if the building is ruined.
• Even if the building is dark.
• Even if you're standing outside a building.
• In any location, including a mall, an outdoor location, or an empty street

Scouting a Safehouse

Once the relevant skill is purchased, you may scout your safehouse using the "Scout the Building (30AP)" button. This gives you a message reading You spend some time clearing sight lines, and surveying and memorising the layout of the building. You can only scout a building when inside.

The benefit of scouting a safehouse is a 10% chance that an action taken within the safehouse will not cost an action point. When this occurs a message reading You move quickly through your safehouse. appears with the usual text for the action performed to indicate that the action did not consume an action point.

Note: Manufacturing syringes in a scouted safehouse is also affected by this mechanic; however, the scouting skill will only reduce the AP cost by 1 to 19 AP, rather than completely removing the 20 AP cost.

Survivors should scout safehouses thoughtfully and infrequently. Scouting a safehouse is costly at 30AP. Given a return of about 5 AP per day, it takes about 6 solid days of searching, barricading, etc in the same building to get a return on that investment. If you are not confident you will utilize the same safehouse for at least a week, your scouting effort will cost you more than it will benefit you.

Once the building has been scouted, the "scout the building button" is no longer available. It is possible to scout the same building again, by setting a different safehouse, then returning to the original building to set it as a safehouse and re-scout it. However this would provide no additional boost to AP usage, and would be therefore be a waste of at least 33AP (for movement, safehouse-setting, and scouting costs, with free running).

Ruined buildings may not be scouted in this manner. When pressing the Scout Building button you receive the message. The broken doors, wreckage and debris make the ruined building impossible to scout effectively. You use only 1 AP doing this (CHECK)

This rule goes for dark buildings as well. When pressing the Scout Building button you receive the message: You cannot scout a building in the dark. Just as with ruined buildings, you only waste 1 AP doing this. This means cinemas, banks and clubs need a generator in order to scout. It's unknown at this point if the 10% boost to AP usage is achieved when the building goes dark, after it being successfully scouted.

Scouting a single corner of a large building (such as a mall) does not carry over to the other corners.

Losing the scouting effect (UNCONFIRMED)

The 10% boost to AP usage in a safehouse will be lost under any of the following circumstances:

• The scouted safehouse is ruined.
• The player dies.
• The building goes dark (UNCONFIRMED)

Entering your safehouse once it's been ruined yields the message You enter the building. Returning to your safehouse, you find it has been ruined beyond recognition. If the safehouse is ruined or the player dies then in order to regain the 10% boost the player will have to re-scout the safehouse, meaning he or she will have to spend another 30 AP. Note that even though the scouting effect is lost, the affected building will still be set as the safehouse. If the safehouse goes dark, powering it with a generator and fuel will be sufficient. (UNCONFIRMED)

Some buildings, junkyards in particular, cannot be ruined or go dark, so that players will not have to worry about their safehouse in these locations, just their own safety.