User:DevOhm/The Dead Walker: Difference between revisions
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=About= | |||
What is [[The Dead Walker]]? The Dead Walker is a zombie "group" that emerged in the Caiger area around September/October 2009 and, according to their wiki page, "experienced a significant period of growth shortly thereafter." A number of factors suggest that this group is essentially a zerg group, not the least of which is their uncanny degree of coordination. | |||
The first hint is their presence on the [http://urbandead.com/stats.html stats page]. As [http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/4446/deadwalker.png this] screenshot shows, The Dead Walker is a large group, with a low average skill level. This is a classic configuration for zerging, as the sheer numbers (and precise coordination) means that low skill is no barrier to success. | |||
Another indication, as noted in the '''members''' section below, are the UD IDs of many group members. The nearby IDs represent registration times within minutes of each other – clearly suggesting they were at least ''created'' (and are probably being run) by the same person. | |||
Additionally, the zombies display similar skills progressions, notably by taking Brain Rot very early on – presumably to make them harder to DNA scan, so that indications of zerging are less easily revealed. | |||
Finally, most of the zombies grouped together in registration blocs have names very similar to those generated as "suggestions" on the character generation page, which helps conceal zerging more than names, say, that have ascending numerals at the end. This is admittedly circumstantial, but together with the other indications, does ultimately suggest that The Dead Walker is a "group" largely composed of zergs. | |||
=Members= | =Members= | ||
The superscript numbers indicate blocs of members that registered within minutes of one another. | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1157929 - Skulmar | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1158456 - Skulmarg | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1161567 - Athelor'''<sup>1</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1161578 - Skulmar Hyst'''<sup>1</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1166577 - Felmarg'''<sup>2†</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1166727 - John Barling'''<sup>2†</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1168433 - Bill Zephyrinus | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1169100 - Ladril'''<sup>3†</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1169930 - cescage'''<sup>3†</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1171140 - Lorlan'''<sup>4</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1171146 - Giorno'''<sup>4</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1211091 - Laie | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1212922 - soluoo | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1601455 - Ominorej | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1614840 - Atell | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1617546 - Christopher Alderson | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1626753 - Sam Geldeard'''<sup>5</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1626754 - Bob Schalch'''<sup>5</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1626755 - Stephen Bowdich'''<sup>5</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1626757 - Geoff Ormrod'''<sup>5</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1626770 - Penny Augarde'''<sup>5</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1629798 - Isabel Egleton | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1629809 - Michael Potter'''<sup>6</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1629811 - Ralph Bullimore'''<sup>6</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1629816 - Alexander Trevelyan'''<sup>6</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1629821 - Alexander Hardyman'''<sup>6</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1629822 - Joseph Aris'''<sup>6</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1630573 - Shaun Gray'''<sup>7</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1630575 - Robert Aris'''<sup>7</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1630576 - Michael Bidgway'''<sup>7</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1630577 - Donald Bussell'''<sup>7</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1630578 - Ralph Olsen'''<sup>7</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1630581 - James Osmonton'''<sup>7</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631254 - Paul Swonnell'''<sup>8</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631257 - William Swonnell'''<sup>8</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631258 - Joseph Wisby'''<sup>8</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631259 - Ralph Otto'''<sup>8</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631263 - Stephen Bousfield'''<sup>8</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631265 - Stuart Terrell'''<sup>8</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631267 - Neil Pickford'''<sup>8</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631269 - Shaun Monroeville'''<sup>8</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631270 - Rubber Jonny'''<sup>8</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1632340 - Geoff Bailey'''<sup>9</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1632343 - Anthony Sixtus'''<sup>9</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1632346 - Paul Stacey'''<sup>9</sup>''' | |||
# http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1632460 - Robert Ames'''<sup>9</sup>''' | |||
†Registered within hours, rather than minutes. | |||
=Proof= | |||
===Ackland Mall=== | |||
The following four iWitness reports show The Dead Walker to be almost the entire occupying force of Ackland Mall. | |||
[http://urbandead. | * [http://iwrecords.urbandead.info/12-26-09_2200hrs_PUBLIC/IN_33-45_The_Dead_Walker_962-bac-210.html Ackland1] | ||
* [http://iwrecords.urbandead.info/12-26-09_2200hrs_PUBLIC/IN_32-45_The_Dead_Walker_f77-c08-efb.html Ackland2] | |||
* [http://iwrecords.urbandead.info/12-26-09_2200hrs_PUBLIC/IN_32-44_The_Dead_Walker_b1f-1b0-d6e.html Ackland3] | |||
* [http://iwrecords.urbandead.info/12-26-09_2200hrs_PUBLIC/IN_33-44_The_Dead_Walker_c38-c2d-ba1.html Ackland4] | |||
At the time these iWitness reports were made, The Dead Walker zombies had not moved for several days. Note that this sort of passive squatting avoids tripping most anti-zerg mechanics, which mostly rely on interaction with barricades or other characters to be flagged. | |||
=Speculation= | |||
It seems likely that The Dead Walker was not originally intended to be a zerg group. Early registration blocs (1-4) were probably just new players registering new characters after having played their first 50 AP and wanting more. It can't be known, but at the beginning, these players probably only had 1 character each in the Dead Walker, since these registrations all took place months before The Dead Walker formed in September/October 2009. | |||
It appears that the early, non-zerg version of The Dead Walker operated for a few weeks before leadership began to grow weary of being unable to make a sufficient impact. The period of intense zerg generation, starting with registration bloc 5, began at the beginning of October, marking the end of the hypothetical non-zerg phase of The Dead Walker. Note that the "characters" from this phase are qualitatively different from those earlier – they are given generic names, have no descriptions, and follow predictable skill progressions. It's likely that at this time the players responsible for the early registration blocs brought their secondary characters over to join in The Dead Walker's new incarnation as a full-on zerg group. |
Latest revision as of 20:59, 27 December 2009
About
What is The Dead Walker? The Dead Walker is a zombie "group" that emerged in the Caiger area around September/October 2009 and, according to their wiki page, "experienced a significant period of growth shortly thereafter." A number of factors suggest that this group is essentially a zerg group, not the least of which is their uncanny degree of coordination.
The first hint is their presence on the stats page. As this screenshot shows, The Dead Walker is a large group, with a low average skill level. This is a classic configuration for zerging, as the sheer numbers (and precise coordination) means that low skill is no barrier to success.
Another indication, as noted in the members section below, are the UD IDs of many group members. The nearby IDs represent registration times within minutes of each other – clearly suggesting they were at least created (and are probably being run) by the same person.
Additionally, the zombies display similar skills progressions, notably by taking Brain Rot very early on – presumably to make them harder to DNA scan, so that indications of zerging are less easily revealed.
Finally, most of the zombies grouped together in registration blocs have names very similar to those generated as "suggestions" on the character generation page, which helps conceal zerging more than names, say, that have ascending numerals at the end. This is admittedly circumstantial, but together with the other indications, does ultimately suggest that The Dead Walker is a "group" largely composed of zergs.
Members
The superscript numbers indicate blocs of members that registered within minutes of one another.
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1157929 - Skulmar
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1158456 - Skulmarg
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1161567 - Athelor1
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1161578 - Skulmar Hyst1
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1166577 - Felmarg2†
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1166727 - John Barling2†
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1168433 - Bill Zephyrinus
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1169100 - Ladril3†
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1169930 - cescage3†
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1171140 - Lorlan4
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1171146 - Giorno4
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1211091 - Laie
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1212922 - soluoo
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1601455 - Ominorej
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1614840 - Atell
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1617546 - Christopher Alderson
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1626753 - Sam Geldeard5
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1626754 - Bob Schalch5
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1626755 - Stephen Bowdich5
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1626757 - Geoff Ormrod5
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1626770 - Penny Augarde5
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1629798 - Isabel Egleton
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1629809 - Michael Potter6
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1629811 - Ralph Bullimore6
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1629816 - Alexander Trevelyan6
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1629821 - Alexander Hardyman6
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1629822 - Joseph Aris6
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1630573 - Shaun Gray7
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1630575 - Robert Aris7
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1630576 - Michael Bidgway7
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1630577 - Donald Bussell7
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1630578 - Ralph Olsen7
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1630581 - James Osmonton7
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631254 - Paul Swonnell8
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631257 - William Swonnell8
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631258 - Joseph Wisby8
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631259 - Ralph Otto8
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631263 - Stephen Bousfield8
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631265 - Stuart Terrell8
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631267 - Neil Pickford8
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631269 - Shaun Monroeville8
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1631270 - Rubber Jonny8
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1632340 - Geoff Bailey9
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1632343 - Anthony Sixtus9
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1632346 - Paul Stacey9
- http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=1632460 - Robert Ames9
†Registered within hours, rather than minutes.
Proof
Ackland Mall
The following four iWitness reports show The Dead Walker to be almost the entire occupying force of Ackland Mall.
At the time these iWitness reports were made, The Dead Walker zombies had not moved for several days. Note that this sort of passive squatting avoids tripping most anti-zerg mechanics, which mostly rely on interaction with barricades or other characters to be flagged.
Speculation
It seems likely that The Dead Walker was not originally intended to be a zerg group. Early registration blocs (1-4) were probably just new players registering new characters after having played their first 50 AP and wanting more. It can't be known, but at the beginning, these players probably only had 1 character each in the Dead Walker, since these registrations all took place months before The Dead Walker formed in September/October 2009.
It appears that the early, non-zerg version of The Dead Walker operated for a few weeks before leadership began to grow weary of being unable to make a sufficient impact. The period of intense zerg generation, starting with registration bloc 5, began at the beginning of October, marking the end of the hypothetical non-zerg phase of The Dead Walker. Note that the "characters" from this phase are qualitatively different from those earlier – they are given generic names, have no descriptions, and follow predictable skill progressions. It's likely that at this time the players responsible for the early registration blocs brought their secondary characters over to join in The Dead Walker's new incarnation as a full-on zerg group.