Talk:NecroWatch/ResearchGroup

Announcing the creation of the NecroWatch Research Group

Hello again everyone. I want to invite you all to join me in attempting to unravel the remaining mysteries about the NecroTech machinery left around Malton. Silly discussion header notwithstanding, I'd like to take this opportunity to have a serious look at, particularly, the DNA Extractor device. There is appallingly little information about this device on the wiki, and there are a few glaring holes in our body of knowledge regarding the thing.

Basically, I'm going to write up a list of questions, which I will then attempt to answer through scientific means, and I hope the rest of you will join me in this endeavor. So, without further ado, the list:

• What is the significance of the string of numbers generated by a scan -- e.g. Filed as #9983022/24?

• When does a scanned zombie disappear from the NecroNet? The common consensus is "after it takes an action", but this seems to be a rumour, and I want to take the small amount of effort required to test it.

The first is most intriguing to me, but so far I have utterly failed to make any headway in answering it, except to determine what it is not. Anyone see anything obvious that I might have missed? CITIZEN VI 01:55, 3 June 2009 (BST)

Can't speak to the first query, but I imagine a zombie "disappears" when revived and does not reappear into NecroNet until another DNA scan is performed upon subject if/when they are re-zombiefied. Otherwise, zed numbers would fluctuate wildly during a siege and probably appear amazingly low--Dr Mycroft Chris 21:57, 18 June 2009 (BST)

Yeah I've been extremely mystified by NecroNet at times. For instance, check out Image:ShowersBuildingNecronet.png, your update stamped 01:59, 1 May 2009, and mine just about 18 hours later. 13 in yours, 69 in mine! ... the hell? Duh. I just noticed. Haha. I was sure you scanned that day, so I kinda missed the date, I just looked at the time. Never mind.

Anyway, count me in. All my alts have NecroNet Access by now, I'm willing to help any way I can. --Sophie ^{◆◆◆ CAPD} 22:49, 18 June 2009 (BST)

If you need a zombie to test that, I could have one of my dual natured alts shamble over. As for the file code, I'm betting tis just something churned out from that excuse of a RNG we have, your best bet is probably just to get everybody to post some numbers here and see if you notice any patterns. --  RoosterDragon  23:19, 18 June 2009 (BST)

The answer to #2 is definitely not "after it takes an action." I thought that. And I thought the following trick would work:

1. Be a zombie
2. Tell a breathing newbie Lab Assistant friend your location. Get them to go there.
3. Lab assistant DNA-scans you
4. You perform some useless action, e.g. biting barricades, in the hope that "taking an action" untags you.
5. go to 3 (your friend would then get XP ridiculously fast.)

It doesn't work. I thought "aha, Kevan was smart and thought of that, so he put a timer in there." The LA probably thought "damn Catherine tricked me into wasting all my AP, now she'll eat me while I'm stuck in this ruin."
I should have tried moving back and forth between two blocks, or stepping in and out of the building, but I was stupid and didn't think of it.
I have an alt in Pashenton, if anyone would like to help continue the experiment.

Here's a 3rd question (copied from Talk:NecroWatch):

• Do you know what the various border colours around NT buildings mean? I think dark blue means the building has no power, but when there is power you can see either a light blue or white border. I've always seen a white border around the NT I am in, but sometimes other nearby NTs have white borders too. --Catherine Athay 03:27, 19 November 2009 (UTC)