User:Breadknife Bill

Here we are, at the end

First, a surprise..

I thought I'd have to create my Wiki account especially for this, just before close-down, but apparently I contributed (suggestions) in 2015, and the password was one of the variations from that era that I could guess. Not bad, given that I don't actually re-use full passwords between sites. (Or usernames. If there are any Breadknife Bills not on here or the current UD game, they are probably not me, although they're welcome to the soubriquet. I am unlikely to join future games (or Discord, sorry) by this moniker, and there's little chance that I shall claim the name, saving any direct resurrection of UD. And plenty of chance that anybody who ever does claim it is not me. Not that even I could prove it, should I change my mind.)

Previously, on Urban Dead

In the last few hours, I have decided to do what I have mostly avoided doing: Tell people about myself. Not much about my self-self, as such is not my way, but something of Breadknife Bill's history, and present. (The deadline to complete this page necessarilly means that it will be rushed and not so well structured/proofread, but please take it as it is.)

This wasn't my first rodeo...

At some point within the first few months of Urban Dead's existence (ok, one IRL fact, I was already 31 years of age at the time; and, yes, I was on the Internet before there was a Web, hence my possible preference for more honest and less complicated websites), I had my first account. Long since forgotten (username, as well as password), along with possibly some secondary accounts to widen my exploration.

I also joined Borehamwood, and will have contributed towards its initial mapping, here, at least until my permazombification (and slow speed of movement, as undead) made my further contributions effectively irrelevent.

For whatever reason (change of computer, forgotten password, heavy real-life workload, too much Dwarf Fortress or maybe MUDding?), I fell off the scene after a few years. But it was clearly still in the back of my mind.

The Birth of the Breadknife

'Bill' joined the fray, 2011-01-17 16:19:12, apparently. A fact that surprises me, but that's what the server says.

The impetus was simple. I heard of an obscure old Wild West relative of somebody being knicknamed Breadknife Bill (no relation to "Buffalo"!), and it sparked the idea to return here. No more, no less. Such a simple thing, but it works for me!

Since then, I've been bumbling around, playing the 'hard' game (see below).

Along the way, many friends (and maybe a few 'frenemies') have been made, that it will perk up my day to see. Hopefully mutually, but that's not for me to say. My regards to you, however, if you read this and recognise my story as having intersected yours.

But where are you?

(Well, I'm British, but I'm not going into that any further. No names, no pack-drill. But, sticking to Malton...) I have occasionally wandered the city, and at one point walked from the NW corner to the SE one (in-between having to seek revives, etc), just for fun. In fact I was planning a little future tour of distant suburbs right before the shutdown news came through.

But, for most of my time, I've probably been based in the vicinity of Roftwood, and its neighbouring suburbs. A few years back, there was a thriving little community around the "Cake Walk diamond". With two PDs immediately adjacent, two more slightly further adrift, hospitals within a handfull of hops, a choice of NTs (interestingly, Cake Walk itself became one of those rare established RPs not directly adjacent to an actual NT building), and other useful amenities within dashing distance (for scavenging, or else for repairing/restoring/defending so that others could use them safely).

Most recently, you'll have found me a little bit to the east, hovering around (usually south of) Hildebrand Mall. By long habit, rarely hanging around in any primary Resource Building. I may, though, stand there fully intending to act as meat-shield to defend it whilst offline (e.g. when Mall/NT/Hosp is under active attack), or perhaps being at the limit of my AP when having been defending or scrabbling for supplies needed elsewhere.

Playing Philosophy

The 'Hard' Game

If you want my considered opinion, Zombies generally have it easy. They can , skill-up, rampage alone or as a group, wander inside open buildings or stand outside as they please. They can just get straight back up if killed, and have an easy reset of 'health'.

I prefer the challenge of having to rely upon the kindness of strangers, which is the Survivor's lot in life (and, when the worst happens, undeath). Much more thought needed, difficult to do anything without others (protecting, repairing, installing, etc are a major suck upon any individual's AP).

Perhaps a nod to the third way: Exploiting the kindness of strangers (by PKing) and/or needing the fuss of powered Rotter-Revives (for those with a Zed group and/or collaborators behind them). Yes, and probably has other challenges, but that's not really my scene.

I've also been not averse to dealing with a long-ruined building by going into negative-AP, just to opportunistically reset the repair-cost; I certainly have gone into the -30s of AP, and (either as Breadknife or a prior incarnation) recall going well into the -50s. Occasionally, such an attempt has not even been fatal... It's at times like this when you appreciate fellow survivors who have your back (often unasked-for).

On the whole, though, "there's always a tomorrow" was my watchword. As of this moment of writing, that is untrue, but I was never worried about having to wait for a revive, even if it would have been nice to be up-and-at-'em again.

The Art Of Eviction

When faced with a zombie incursion, needing expelling from a building, my tactics have been to strike all named (usually Grey and Black; see below) zeds in turn, to establish their HP levels, then generic "a zombie" (who may or may not end up to be one of the IDed undead). If lacking ammo (or enough AP for melee) to have a good chance of decisively dropping all zed presences, bundle them outside and do a decent repair/rebarricading, I'd instead reduce their HP to ideally 12HP (three pistol shots from death, for a typical 'skill-hardened' undead, or perhaps a lucky flare), starting from the bottom of the list. This way, should anyone else (without my information, or any coordination) come along soon after, they may well find an increasingly easy set of headshots to make to ease their own attempt, without leaving zombies in an easy "stand up, reinvade" position. Of course, each situation is different and it's rarely so neat, but I've had no complaints, from either fellow survivors or the zeds concerned...

Loadout

Weapons

Pistol (and clips), Shotgun (and shells)

Always at least one of each weapon (even empty. The art of ammo-juggling and reloading is probably familiar to anyone with any experience.

Flare

Rare, and often more useless than not. But, if a flare is scavanged, might be useful as a first shot against a fresh enemy, especially if a miss means that the remaining ammo/AP would be insufficient to complete the attack, so bugging out (or staying schtum, if in a group, despite the thought that even the failed shot of a flare would mark one out) might be the next step instead.

Knife

Used to use one of these, for melee (it's in my name), but eventually decided to switch to...

Fireaxe

Normal ammo-free attack mode.

Sort-of-Weapons

Newspaper

For the 'friendly pokes', 100% hit-rate, 0HP damage.

Crowbar

Generally reserved for re-levelling overcaded 'cades.

Toolbox

"Hey, I was trying to repair this place!", as a pre-bugout hint.

Fuel can

Occasionally it's with a splash (and maybe smash).

Halloween Mask

As a zombie, the (now cracked and blood-spattered) mask from a number of seasons back turns the "bite" attack into a "headbutt". Typically a single "oh! Thanks for biting me to death!" riposte, sometimes I'll continue until it's a half-health on the the target zed. (Just because I can...)

Everything else..

No time to tell you all, probably, sorry...

Contact Management

Not that it matters, but I thought I'd explain my personal Contact List policy. Anyone with a meaningful interaction, I'd add to my contact list for easy identification. Whether by good luck or good choice by Kevan, the list-cap given by the game roughly agreed with the number of active contacts. Occasionally I might cull a struckthrough name from it in order to add someone new, but (as long as I didn't explore more than into neighbouring suburbs, with their own novel ecosystems of players) I generally managed to fit everyone in. Occasionally I might remove a 'random zed' to give a player of higher note a slot.

The system in use is as follows:

Zed Hues

Grey(/default)

Zeds who were not Rotters who revealed their IDs by either attacking me or were scanned at RPs. Possible (low-priority) recipients of FAKs (if alive again) or syringes (at RPs only).

Black

Zeds who are Rotters, possibly as an 'upgrade' to Grey. Given no assistance, ever, perhaps (when possible) 'discouraged' if encountered either blocking RPs or presenting themselves as live.

Survivor Hues

White

Noted friendly contacts, for miscellaneous resons, to whom I have granted no 'better' colour. Very rare, as it might depict a Gennie installer/fueller, but often that kind of person has earned (or shortly will earn) an 'upgrade' to their status colour.

Green

Anyone who has FAKed me (overrides existing Grey/White assignment).

Purple

Anyone who has Revived me (overrides Green, etc).

• NB: Purple/Green/White received (generally in that order, depending upon circumstances) priority assistance with healing/reviving from myself, as practical. I also tried to help those in Grey (and 'funny' colours, as below), but usually only after these classes were at least known to be disinfected.

Red

Primarily, anyone who PKed me. Secondarily, GKers and maybe PKers of others within my sight (but those who set upon trusted allies only, acknowledging that there may be some valid reciprocal 'hits' in a feud, or that it's bounty-hunting). Colour overrides Grey and Black, and in one instance has been given to an ex-ally (possibly even Purple) who turned full Rotter-PK. I will provide no assistance to anyone in Red, and am fairly likely to give ammunition (at high velocity) or bladed weapon (sharp-edged first), when it isn't better to just try to warn others and/or avoid and move elsewhere.

"It's Complicated" Hues

Blue/Orange/Yellow

Rarely used, and inconsistently, but for multi-category individuals. For example, the Dual Natured individual who has revived me (and continues to be life-aligned when living), but is also a Rotter (with all the dedication that that entails, when undead) is Blue, and would gladly earn my FAK assistance but not normally a syringe (perhaps a power-assisted one, once, but generally not an option).

• Seeing any of these other colours always meant checking my own memory for the exact reasons (ally-gone-dodgy, or possibly-repenting-exhostile?), and few players seemed to last long in such a conflicted playing style without idling these characters out.