Talk:Meatshield

I don't believe river tactics is the opposite, because it must be applied with a plan and not be used as an excuse for mass panic. Example: The zombies manage to ransack a corner of a mall so the survivors retreat in order to retake the mall when the zombies are gone.--O'i'O 15:59, 18 September 2007 (BST)

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So what do you call zombies that sleep in ruined bldgs, in order to deny their use by survivors? Our horde calls them "Meatshields". True, it's a little bit mocking but it's better then "Sponges". --Doc smith 09:01, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

I'd call them meatshields too, so I've updated the article to reflect this usage.--Toejam 13:08, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

I diagree with your changing the main text of the article to include a zombie perspective of meatshielding... it is historically a term to describe survivors piling into a building. If you want to try to change the definition of the terminology, at least keep it to a footnote until it takes -- boxy • talk • 13:31 13 November 2007 (BST)

It is a term primarily used with survivors, but I think it also is generally understood to apply to zombies too. So a zombie who said "I'm busy meatshielding a ransacked NT" would be making sense. Perhaps a straw poll to see if players think zombies can meatshield would be helpful. Certainly I think the article should accurately reflect whatever way the term is understood. In the meantime, I've turned the article back to the survivor-only version. --Toejam 16:03, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

I agree that the term can/should be used interchangeably; visit the blackmore NT in ridleybank to see a current version of zombah meatshielding. --Lardass 21:12, 19 November 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, it's all nice and eeeequaaaal that way isn't it... but I've never seen the term ever used that way. Salting the land is what zombied are doing when sleeping in NT buildings, they're not meatshielding. Sacrificing their life to hold territory means little to a zombie... they just stand up again, and shamble back inside (I know, I've done it often enough) -- boxy • talk • 12:20 24 November 2007 (BST)

I use the phrase "zombie meatshields", but that is pretty idiosyncratic and I usually have to explain it or put it in context. I think the proper and common term for this is "squatting". Salt the Land refers specifically to occupying NTs -- but squatting can be done inside any building. Also, the term "meatshield" is used by both sides. Zombies tend to use it pejoratively, while for survivors it refers to legit and common tactic in defending buildings -- both uses always refer to survivors. --WanYao 12:26, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure it started as a derogatory zombie term for zergling survivors, low level survivors used to stack into buildings to give more targets, even before ransacking became a tactical consideration -- boxy • talk • 12:44 24 November 2007 (BST)

Fair enough... But that is not how the term is most commonly used today... at least not in my experience, or at least not amongst survivors... It has been "claimed" by them, and is now used by them to refer to a specific tactic, i.e. sacrificing one's Health Points in order to stave off or slow down zombies from ransacking a building. --WanYao 12:50, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

Oh... uhm... and perhaps it was a mistake, but you deleted this comment, boxy:

Oh... and contrary to what boxy says, I contend that squatting serves the exact same purpose as meatshielding: to hold a location by requiring your opponent to use large amounts of AP to remove you and take possession of the building. The fact that zombies can just stand up again when "killed" is quite irrelevant to the actual function of squatting, except perhaps to make it easier. --WanYao 12:37, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

Although we are discussing definitions, the terms refer to tactics. And I was comparing zombie/survivor tactics there... --WanYao 12:58, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

Opps, sorry, I did too (must have been editing an old version, and didn't notice you post). Yes, the tactics are similar, I just question whether the term is actually widely used to refer to zombies maintaining ransack/ruin -- boxy • talk • 13:11 24 November 2007 (BST)

The most common term ive heard for it is "holding the sack", or now that ruin is here, "Holding the ruin". Boxy is correct about the original use of the term in the community though. Its been around sicne 05 where it was usen in numerous seiges when the zombies got rolling pre caiger 1 (Which was a zerg fest like you would not believe). --The Grimch ^{U! E! WAT!} 13:18, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

That makes sense, holding the ransack... but I have never, ever heard that term before now. Whereas I have used, heard and read on the wiki the term "squatting" quite a lot. All that aside, tt does seem that the general consensus is that, even if the purpose of the tactic is similar, the term "meatshield" almost always refers to survivors and not to zombies. --WanYao 20:37, 25 November 2007 (UTC)