Trenchcoater/definition

Trenchcoater is a derogatory term used to refer to survivor characters of a common mindset, particularly those who model themselves and their actions in game after the stereotypical action hero that is seen in movies, though there are other common memes.

History of the term

The term "trenchcoater" has been around for almost as long as the game itself. No one knows how the term came about, but it has universally been a term of derision towards those deemed to be "trenchies" by both zombie players and the more sensible survivor players of the game.

Trenchcoater mindset

There are a number of common memes that most trenchcoaters share, though they are not all present in each individual. Below is a listing of many of these concepts.

Belief in the possibility of total victory

Many trenchcoaters believe in the possibility of finally ridding the game of the zombie menace, usually through some form of unprecedented revive strike. They believe that this is, in fact, a good thing for the game, rather than a bad thing because they seem to think that the game exists to be won, rather than to have a steady state conflict with neither side winning.

Tendency to complain when losing

Many trenchcoaters fail to see the ways the game balance is weighted. Instead of believing that they lost because the other side just plain outfought them, they instead complain that the game is unbalanced in the favour of the other side. This is not always untrue, however. That said, in most cases, it is merely the fact that the trenchcoater refuses to accept that he lost because of his own deeds, or because he set himself a task beyond his means. Such individuals often claim zombies are overpowered, especially when hordes have knocked over large portions of the map in their infrequent massive rampages.

Failure to understand the concepts behind game mechanics

This is most obvious in the Suggestions pages, where trenchcoaters propose one sided human buffs with some regularity. Examples of suggestions by Trenchcoaters include numerous Rifle suggestions, suggestions to give people the ability to shoot out windows, and very rarely, suggestions to make NPC zombies for them to shoot at.

Hand in hand with this is the fact that Trenchcoaters often do not understand that by killing a zombie on the streets, they waste, at most, 15 of its ap standing back up again, trading off for that 15ap the ap you spent loading the weapons, finding the zombie, killing the zombie, and headed back to a safe haven.

Do not see the other side as players

Trenchcoaters are the most likely to vote to keep zombie-unfair suggestions when they have a high probability of unbalancing the game or at the least reducing the fun.

Believe shooting zombies outside is effective

Trenchcoaters fail to realise that shooting a zombie outside wastes AP, ammunition (it's unlikely they'll use an axe) and comes with the risk the zombie may still be active and capable of fighting back. Not only that, but there's a chance they'll headshot an innocent pro-survivor at a revive point or just standing around.

Shooting zombies outside does not mean the survivor is a trenchcoater. All survivors need a way of gaining experience, and for some this could be the only way for them to do so. Admittedly it isn't productive, but there's a chance they'll stop doing this once they possess the right skills.

If the survivor(s) are rallying inside a building which is being attacked by zombies, this may mean barricades are going down and said survivor(s) do not want to find themselves dead on their next log-in before another is able to repair the barricades.

"Action Hero"

Many trenchcoaters see themselves as action heroes, doing things with weapons and equipment which in real life would probably cause extreme strain. This includes carrying nonsensical amounts of weight on their backs, or dual wielding weapons that cannot be held in one hand. Such things may count as a vague explanation for their actions.

Subsets of trenchcoaters may also see themselves as anime characters or ninjas; in short, anything which does not fit even a survivor who wishes to roleplay. It is likely that these characters are played by children.

Desire to lead (Military themed)

Many trenchcoaters found groups with them as the only person. These groups are usually seen having a complex system of organization (seen as several squads or subgroups,) despite the fact that the trenchcoater is the only member of the group. These groups usually fail quickly and go inactive, or are abandoned by the trenchcoater for a newer group.

It's clear that trenchcoaters have a desire to lead groups, but don't seem to have a desire to learn off older, more experienced players. For this reason, groups founded by trenchcoaters usually fail.

This may not be the case with all survivors on this bent; if the "group" is merely a notation placed on the survivor's profile to add to further role-playing, and/or is logically expected to be present in a catastrophic real-life situation, such actions - alone - do not indicate a trenchcoater. See here for an example. Such groups may or may not contain more than one member.

Trenchcoater FAQ

Q: This guy is spamming things like "BOOM HEADSHOT!";"FUCK YOU PKER!";"OVER 9000 ZOMBIE MUDKIPS ARE CRAWLING UP MY ASS";"HEAL ME NOW YOU STUPID AFTERBIRTH", etc. etc. over and over. Is he a trenchcoater?

A: Not necessarily. Odds are he's just a n00b asshole.

Q: This guy has the name 7R3NCH13 with a profile that reads "tall dark pale badass with 20 pos1on-tipp3d k4t4n4zzzzz n t4nk sh00ter th1ng3 xt3nd1ng from hiz mouf." Is he a trenchcoater?

A: Could be, but he may just be trying to make fun of the whole trenchcoater concept.

Template

Want to declare to the Urban Dead community that you've watched "Rambo" too many times and you don't care who knows it?

If the answer is yes, follow the instructions given in Template:Trenchcoater so you'll end up with this:

	Trenchcoater
	This user finds no irony in 20 shotguns and katanas.