|
Field Guide · Reconnaissance Map · Posting an NT Scan · BLAH
|
 |
A.L.I.C.E. - NecroNet 2.0
|
| Greetings human. You have wisely chosen to join NecroWatch. You wish to vie for my attention and pursue your chance for delicious cake. This is only to be expected. However, you still have questions. You wonder how the zombies came to be. You wonder why Malton forms a perfect decimal grid. You wonder why you never received a puppy on your seventh birthday when you were perfectly clear you would love it and walk it every day. These questions are unhealthy and will only make you unhappy, leading a reduced desire to vie for my attention and pursue your chance for delicious cake. Instead, why not look over these excellent resources I have generously provided for you?_
|
Before You Go...
Set your objective.
Are you planning on making rounds in a single suburb, or are you after that elusive ribbon that will take you across Malton? Take a moment and decide what it is you really want to do, and then spend at least a couple days' worth of AP to get ready. Different objectives will necessitate that you bring along the proper gear (see below). If you're simply patrolling a small area, like a single suburb, then most of the advice below isn't for you-- you probably already know everything you need to know to keep your suburb up and running and keep those scans rolling in.
If you're going on a more extended journey, it's important to define your goal. Do you intend to make a lasting impact on a suburb, or do you want to get in, scan, and get out again? Do you want to maximize distance covered in the shortest time, or are you looking to take your time and help local survivors rebuild? If you're just moving from NT to NT as quickly as possible (a "pan and scan"), then you'll need to count every AP and make sure your inventory is prepared for the worst. If you're on a reclamation run, then you will want more freedom to take your time, prepare, and rally other survivors to make the strongest and most lasting impact you can.
Plan your route.
Measure twice, cut once, as they say. There are wonderful resources on the Wiki and elsewhere that can save you time and trouble when you're ready to plan out your route.
- NT Status Map. This is bread-and-butter stuff. Check it early and often. And then get frustrated at how infrequently other people update NT Status, and then get over it and re-dedicate yourself to updating them.
- The Map of Malton. Of particular use on this map is the ability to look at up to four connected suburbs at once. This is a great way to plan out your free-running path, or to quickly check where the nearest factory is to your current position.
You'll probably want to make yourself a route map. A route map will help to keep you focused and saves you the trouble of having to check and re-check the Malton Map every time you reach the next NT. Here's a sample map of an extended route, made by simply taking a screenshot of the NT Status Map and then cropping and editing it in Paint (click to view full size).
Equip yourself properly.
- If you're going out on an extended route, take an unorthodox step and get rid of your firearms. You can save a tremendous amount of encumbrance value by getting rid of your pistols, shotguns, and ammo. You're not going to be shooting zombies anyway.
- Flak Jackets offer no protection from zombies, only from other survivors with firearms. Keep that in mind before carrying one.
- Bring a crowbar, or a fire axe if you have the skill to use it-- you may need to lower barricades on your route.
- If you're just doing a pan-and-scan, don't bother with a toolbox. An NT does not need to be repaired to get scans. If you're looking to help reclaim lost NTs, though, a toolbox is absolutely essential.
- While they are usually dismissed as unnecessary, consider grabbing a pair of binoculars. This is especially true if you're going into deep red territory.
- I cannot overstate the importance of portable generators and fuel cans. If an NT is ruined, you will need both to take a scan from it (but you do not need to repair the NT to take a scan). Having a spare genny and fuel can easily save you an entire day of AP-- in a suburb like New Arkham, for instance, there are no TRPs with a decent chance of finding a generator, meaning you might need to backtrack or skip the 'burb entirely if one of the NTs was ruined.
- For reference,
- Portable Generators are best found in Factories (2.4%/3.6%), and Mall Hardware Stores (1%/2%).
- Fuel Cans are best found in Auto Repair shops (4.3%/6.3%), Factories (2.4%/5.4%), Power Stations (2.1%/4.5%), and Warehouses (~2%/~4%).
- Simply put: factories are your best bet for restocking, being the only TRP where both can be found. Be warned, even searching in a powered factory, you may need approximately 40 AP to find both a genny and fuel. If you only need fuel, head to an auto shop.
- Carry at least three first aid kits. You will need them if you're headed into hostile territory.
- If you're on a pan-and-scan run, revivification syringes are unnecessary, as you won't be spending the 10 AP to revive others. However, if you're on a reclamation run, carry at least three, either for combat revives inside NTs or just to help out at revive points to bolster survivor numbers in the area.
| Sample "Pan-and-Scan" Inventory
|
Sample "Reclamation" Inventory
|
Crowbar (5%) or Fire Axe (6%)
DNA Extractor (4%)
Binoculars (4%)
First Aid Kit (2%) x3
Portable Generator (20%) x2
Fuel Can (10%) x3
Total Encumbrance 90%
|
Crowbar (5%) or Fire Axe (6%)
Toolbox (16%)
Spray Can (2%) x2
DNA Extractor (4%)
Binoculars (4%)
Revivification Syringe (2%) x3
First Aid Kit (2%) x3
Portable Generator (20%) x1
Fuel Can (10%) x2
Total Encumbrance 86%
|
On Your Route...
Talk to other survivors.
Use that speak button!
- There's no shame in asking for help. Sometimes, you will arrive at an NT to find it ruined and occupied. And just as often, there's a building within a few moves that is powered, EHB, and defended. Talking to the assembled defenders can really make a difference in reclaiming the NT. So talk to them, something like,
| Hello, I'm from NecroWatch. I'm going to be making a move to reclaim the BLAH Building (X direction, Y direction) in Z hours. I have a genny and fuel, but the NT will fall quickly without bullets and barricades. If you can, please help.
|
- This will easily fit in the 250 character talk limit. My advice is to give them at least a few hours to hear you, though it depends if you're pressed for time. And it never hurts to remind them again about a half-hour before you make your move. Now, be warned: you will probably be ignored. But every now and then, you will find one or two survivors actually willing to act on your timetable and will help you re-take the NT.
- Spread the message. The best way to make sure NTs stay in good working order is to convince other survivors to do it. And one of the best ways to get them to help out is to offer them delicious cake. So recruit! What's the worst that can happen?
Hello! I'm part of NecroWatch, an informal organization (no group membership required) that compiles NT scans for the Urban Dead Wiki. Our goal is to provide an up-to-date picture of conditions on the ground in Malton, which benefits everyone.
|
| The more people we have scanning and reporting, the better! If you have NecroNet Access and want to help keep Malton safe, please look us up on the UD Wiki and join us, or click on the web page link in my profile to ask questions on my talk page. Thanks!
|
- Those two phrases will each fit in the 250 character limit, and for 2AP, it's a small price to pay for more NecroTechnicians. Of course, if you don't have a link to your talk page in your profile, you will have to think of something else to say.
Survive in the deep red suburbs.
Your route may take you into very dangerous territory, where large hordes control the suburb and survivors are on the run. If and when you find yourself traveling through the deep red, you will need to change your tactics and your thinking. While the basics will be outlined below, there are a few articles that may be of interest. You can find lots of helpful advice in Guides for Survivors, there are two in particular that you should read:
- The Lone Survivor Guide is a good resource is you're in a dangerous (but not entirely wrecked) suburb.
- Hiding In Plain Sight explains the subtle art of utilizing totally ruined suburbs to your advantage.
Apart from those guides, there are a few general tactics to keep in mind. Remember, these tactics are for your time in very dangerous suburbs; in safe or moderate suburbs, there's no reason to use these sorts of "selfish" tactics.
- Conserve your AP. If you know in advance that your destination is in the red, don't run in half-cocked. Save up 50 AP. You may need it. Check the Malton Map and know exactly how many AP it will take in the worst case scenario to reach the NT, install a genny, fuel it, scan, and flee. You don't know precisely what you will encounter, and getting stuck is simply not a good option.
- Don't bother repairing NTs. A facility doesn't need to be repaired to get a scan; it only needs power. Spending 20+ AP to repair a facility that you cannot hope to hold is dangerous and wasteful. If there aren't any zombies inside, this has the added benefit that the NT will still appear dark on the mini-map.
- Always have FAKs. You're probably going to get bit. Or you'll bump into other intrepid survivors who got bit, and saving a life always gives you a warm, cheery feeling. Just don't use your last FAK on anyone but yourself, in the terrible eventuality you are bitten, killed, and then manage to get a revive. You will stand up again at 25 HP and you will still be infected. That last FAK is your lifeline if you're still in the ruined suburb.
- Save the generators for NTs. Sometimes, you will be in desperate need of something (like a FAK) and you will be tempted to install a genny in a building to help your search rates. Don't do it. You do not increase your search chances enough to justify using one of your valuable generators and fuel.
- As an example,
- The chance to find a FAK in an unlit hospital is 12.6%, or approximately 9 AP.
- The chance to find a FAK in a powered hospital is 18.5%, or approximately 7 AP.
- Remember, it likely took you 20 AP in a factory to find that generator in the first place!
- Dark buildings make good emergency safehouses. If you're trapped in a ruined suburb and low on AP, find a bank, club, or cinema to sleep in. Dark buildings reduce to-hit chances by half-- meaning that if you are found by zombies, it will be harder to kill you. You'll still likely be infected, but you might survive to scan another day.
NecroWatch Reconnaissance Map
A.L.I.C.E. has thoughtfully assembled this map to track the progress of licensed NecroTechnician NAME's progress as HE/SHE reports NecroNet scans from the many NecroTech facilities spread across the city of Malton. Delicious cake awaits.
A Final Word
|
A.L.I.C.E. - NecroNet 2.0
|
Greetings again human. As you have been reading my helpful advice, I have reconsidered my position on your questions. I have determined that not all of them are completely invalid and you deserve the answers I can provide. You did not receive a puppy because your parents did not really love you.
But I do._
|
|
