Frequently Asked Questions/Mechanics

Damage to Barricade

Does higher damage attacks tears down barricade more quickly?Like a zombie attack by hand,with or without Rend Flesh,will they cause any differences?And will zombie's hit rate be halved when attacking barricades,like most human melee weapons?I planned to give some suggestions on new class in the future,and these are extremely important concerns to have a balance class.--Jacklau89 19:36, 1 February 2009 (UTC)

The higher damage doesn't affect barricade removal rates. The hit percentage against them is what matters. A zombie's hit percentage is halved against barricades (it varies from time to time, but is generally halved). The only weapon in game which has a hit rate that doesn't get halved is the crowbar. --Johnny Bass 21:41, 13 February 2009 (UTC)

Rhodenbank

I am currently hunkerd down in Rhodenbank, and I am trying to look for a radio channel that is focused on events happening in Rhodenbank. Nequa 22:30, 10 September 2008 (BST)

26.08 MHz

Groups like the Dulston Alliance also have frequencies up there. _■^■ 04:57, 13 September 2008 (BST)

External Military Reports

How often do External Military Reports happen? Thanks in advance.Nequa 19:19, 30 August 2008 (BST)

Tune in and find out. From what I see, there's like 2-5 reports a day, but I could be wrong. --•▬ ▬••▬ • •••• •▬ ▬•▬• ▬•▬ ^{^{^{^{^{#nerftemplatedsigs}}}}} 19:22, 30 August 2008 (BST)

Is there a maximum inventory limit?

Is there a maximum inventory size of how many items a player can carry? Is there a max limit on the maximum number of one particular item a player can carry around?

As of 03-06-07 all items take up variable inventory space which a much lower limit on total items. -Tiak 00:00, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

I think that would come under "encumbrance" that is, "You are x% encumbered." --

P02 Samuel Talk to me! Stop that asshole!PoleCats

13:36, 17 August 2007 (BST)

Yes, but then there's Inventory [28/50 weight] above the 100% Encumbered status. Is there any value to the 28/50?Pakopako 04:35, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

There is another limit - inventory slots - which can kick in before you are 100% encumbered. It usually only affects players who carry a large number of radios. You can carry a maximum of 16 radios, and if you do that you can only carry two further items, or one if it's a decoration or firearm. See also Category_Talk:Items and Item codes. --Explodey 13:52, 8 February 2009 (UTC)

Someone healed me. How did they know I was hurt?

From the Diagnosis skill. Per the Skills page, "Scientific Skills * Diagnosis (The HP values of nearby survivors are displayed next to their name.)"

However, it is possible that they have just guessed. This is especially true of members of the Medic class, who depend on healing as a major XP source, but is possible for any survivor who has a FAK but not the Diagnosis skill. Since they can't see everyone's HP value, they have to simply try everyone they see and hope to get lucky. It is not surprising, therefore, that many Medics purchase Diagnosis as soon as they possibly can. Still, this means that asking for help can benefit both parties. You get healed, and the other survivor gets closer to getting Diagnosis. --James Ennis 06:51, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

When does the 160-limit reset?

No one knows. Just guess.

It seems to me that it restarts at 12:00 AM BST (Midnight in Britain.) I say this because I operate off of US Eastern Standard time, and my IP usage restores at roughly 7:00 PM. Tetha2 23:00, 30 September 2007 (BST)

I can confirm this. I live in Norway (GMT +1), and I regain my 160 IP hits at 01:00 am.

The EST time given is wrong(although that's probably due to DST), it should, currently, reset at 8 pm EST as it resets at 5 pm PST.--Karek^maps?! 18:18, 11 February 2008 (UTC)

Yes, 8 pm EST has been my experience. --Pdeq^Talk* 02:00, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

So, it's 00:05 and the 160-hit-limit hasn't kicked in for me. Pyxzer 00:05, 17 June 2009 (BST)

Ooh, well, it did now. Pyxzer 00:08, 17 June 2009 (BST)

I find it happens about 5-8 mins after midnight in UK. -- ▧ ^{: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :} 17:15, 23 July 2010 (BST)

Same. Probably to do with where your city is relative to London or Malton or whatnot.--Yonnua Koponen^{Talk ! Contribs} 17:16, 23 July 2010 (BST)

Am central London. UD server appears to be in Yorkshire. -- ▧ ^{: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :} 22:47, 23 July 2010 (BST)

A Gritty Detail of the 5-day Idle Thing

So I was talking to a friend one day who's been idle for 5+ days, and his character doesn't show up on the block he's in. He logs in, but I still don't see him. He had to spend an AP before his character was visible, and it seems merely logging in doesn't make you appear. I concluded that you must spend an AP to make yourself an active character again, and merely logging in is not enough. My question is, BEFORE you turn inactive, does logging in count as an action in the 5-day idle period? If you only log in, but do not spend any AP or make an actions, does it interrupt your "idleness?" --SM †♠ 06:00, 16 August 2008 (BST)

I don't think it does, I've logged in after idling in a room full of humans and not been killed, so I think you do have to spend an AP. Jonny12 ^talk 12:21, 13 September 2008 (BST)

Am currently testing this. ᚱᛁᚹᛖᚾᚨᚾᛏ 05:53, 4 December 2008 (UTC)

I wonder how it went... Pyxzer 00:03, 17 June 2009 (BST)

Results were included in the Inactive article. ᚱᛁᚹᛖᚾᚨᚾᛏ 07:13, 21 August 2010 (BST)

What order are characters listed in, in a location?

Is there a pattern to the order that character names appear in your location? It seems to be that whoever's been standing there the longest is nearest the top but I could be wrong. --MoonLayHidden 18:06, 10 Nov 2005 (GMT)

Profile numbers, I think--Milo 18:36, 10 Nov 2005 (GMT)

Nope, that's definitely not it. The players in my room are all out of order, profile-number-wise. --MoonLayHidden 18:58, 10 Nov 2005 (GMT)

It's based on the most recently active one--they're either at the top of bottom of the list, I'm not sure which.--'STER 19:59, 10 Nov 2005 (GMT)

Used to be profile numbers, but it's been changed to least to most active in terms of last action taken. --Daxx 15:40, 3 Dec 2005 (GMT)

For survivors, they're listed by activity. The most recently active ones are on the bottom. Dickus Maximus 21:39, 30 March 2006 (BST)

This is helpful if you want to find out if any of your buddies have been playing or not. Players at the top of the list have been there for a while and might be on a vacation where they don't play for several days.

Players at the top have definitely been inactive the longest. Those at the bottom have recently refreshed the screen or taken an action. Yes, merely refreshing resets you to the bottom of the list.--Kolechovski 21:30, 28 August 2008 (BST)

Do search percentages vary between individual buildings?

Do different buildings of the same type have different search percentages? i.e. is there a particular NecroTech building that gives out more syringes than other NecroTech buildings? RabidChipmunk

No. See the Search Odds page. --LouisB3 17:18, 20 Nov 2005 (GMT)

Buildings which are lit have better search odds than buildings which are not. Apart from that, search odds are the same in buildings of the same type. --Jack Grudge 10:52, 3 Nov 2006 (AEST)

also, ransacked buildings have lower search odds. chaosvolt

How far away can flares be seen from?

When somebody fires a flare, how many blocks away can people see it? --Lord Kelvin 12:51, 28 Nov 2005 (CST)

Since I started keeping track, 14 was the furthest I've seen. --dayfat 18:58, 28 Nov 2005 (GMT)

I think it's farther, I saw a 15 once, and I thought I even saw an 18 once or twice before as well. --Lord Kelvin 17:48, 28 Nov 2005 (CST)

I saw 19 twice on the same page. Maybe the limit is 20? --Spook 17:35, 1 Dec 2005 (GMT)

Just saw 22. --Spook 16:54, 3 Dec 2005 (GMT)

Spooky - I've never seen one that far, although I hardly pay attention. Could it be possible that there's a chance to notice flares which decreases as distance increases? --LouisB3 17:32, 3 Dec 2005 (GMT)

If that were the case, there would be a point where the chance is 0%, else you would still have a chance to see a flare at the other end of Malton Spook 13:25, 18 Dec 2005 (GMT) 13:25, 18 Dec 2005 (GMT)

The Institute of Independant Studies is currently preparing to do an experiment on flare range. The first test will show if flares operate on a fixed radius or an odds basis as described above and will take place in a few days time when the participants have gathered enough flares. Results will be posted here as well as on the ISS page. --Preasure 09:31, 13 April 2006 (BST)

The first ISS test fired 5 flares from 25 to 19 blocks away from another character. None were seen. The test will be repeated in the 20-15 bracket once enough flares are found again. --Preasure 09:38, 15 April 2006 (BST)

The 2nd ISS test suggests the range may be 14 blocks. However further tests will be carried out to see if an odds system exists beyond that. --Preasure 13:53, 22 April 2006 (BST)

To add to this discussion, I just saw a 16.4. "A flare was fired 13 blocks to the east and 10 blocks to the south. (7 hours and 26 minutes ago)". That's the farthest one I've ever seen. --Metalchest 19:34, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Hey everyone I think the reason for the differences in length may be in the ways people are measuring. ie 3E and 4W could be seen as four (largest number), 5 (actual distance by pythagorean theorum), or 7 (3+4) --Tyler durden 00:22, 27 June 2009 (BST)

Perhaps how far away you can see flares depends on the buildings in the way, likes it's a real city. Say, you are by a mall, cemetery, junkyard, wasteland, park, and PD or Fire Department, you'd be able to see flares from farther away than if you were surrounded by office buildings.--Justinbronze 19:44, 14 June 2010 (BST)

Talk:Firearms#Flare_Guns --Ross less ne s s^{Want a Location Image?} 20:22, 14 June 2010 (BST)

How do Survivors have higher levels than Zombies?

Alright, how can some Civilians and Military have the highest level rating? Isn't it impossible for survivors to have the max level--Brain Rot counts for a level, yes? Or is it just that bug with Infection and rev'd-ness counting as skills, since you can possibly either have a rev marker or Brain Rot but not both?--'STER 23:44, 29 Nov 2005 (GMT)

It's not a bug. "Revivification and Infection flags are treated as skills for the purposes of this extract" (From the stats page). A person with brain rot has to be a zombie and therefore won't be counted towards the survivor level rating (because they are a zombie). However a survivor who just recently revived (not standing up yet) would count as being two levels higher then what they are. This is because there would also be the infection tag on the survivor as well because you are automatically infected after revivification. Jedaz 13:06, 30 Nov 2005 (GMT)
- Okay all of that makes sense, except are you sure about that infection thing? I'm pretty sure it's just that if you were infected when you died, you stay infected. It doesn't actually happen automatically.--'STER 02:19, 2 Dec 2005 (GMT)
  - So would this explain why in the levels section of the wiki, it states that level 42 is the highest possible level, however in the game status page, there are people who have reached level 43?--MegaManX 06:24, 27 June 2007 (BST)
    - New skills were added, thus increasing the higher possible skill level.--Pt da silva 00:14, 28 May 2008 (BST)

Is Brain Rot reversible?

What are the chances of getting an accidental purchase of Brain Rot undone? :F — ceejayoz ^{★ .com} 05:54, 4 Dec 2005 (GMT)

If the cold-hearted folks over at the Suggestions page were in charge, your character'd be screwed forever. Which he currently is, unfortunately. --LouisB3 19:35, 4 Dec 2005 (GMT)

Well, I added a thing to Suggestions re: a warning on purchase, which so far seems to be a unanimous keep. Perhaps others will be spared my fate. :p — ceejayoz ^{★ .com} 03:17, 5 Dec 2005 (GMT)

This is not confirmed as far as I know, but it seems that zombies with Brain Rot can be revivied only in NecroTech building with the NecroNet Access skill. (Moved this up from the question below and edited for readability.)--Guardian of Nekops 03:14, 2 Feb 2006 (GMT)

I can confirm that a Brain-rotted individual can be revivified with the new NecroNet Access skill. I have had at least one brain rotted character revivified. It is a little difficult, you must be inside a powered Necrotech building and be revivified by someone with the Necronet skill.

If you need reviving from brain rot then try the Brain Rot Revive Clinic; it's an unbarricaded NecroTech building, being used for powered revival - the only possible way to get a brain rotted player back to life.

I have another question about brain rot. If you buy it, and get revived by a necrotech person, do you have to buy it again? Or does it just so happen when you die you have to go through the process of being revived like a rotter? --Alevins 20:27, 1 July 2007 (BST)

Everytime a character with brain rot dies the only way to be revived is through a powered NecroTech building by character that has the Necronet skill. Like all skills it can only be purchased once and will not go away after you are revived.- Vantar 21:00, 1 July 2007 (BST)

I just wanted to add that humans with brain rot are treated as zombie spies and are usally killed on the spot-User:gunmun z7

Why does it cost AP to stand when revived?

Even if the AP cost for standing up after death is 10, should the cost after being revived be 10? You expect to die, even headshots happen (losing XP), but being revived is kinda like a random good thing happening (unless you're a zombie that just hasn't rotted yet). One doesn't ask to get revived (of course we want to), but then having to spend so much AP to get up from that, it's like "yay! I'm alive, but I have to stay on the ground to charge AP before I can play..". What's the rationale for 10 AP after being revived? The slow acting vaccine?

I don't see the problem with waiting for AP to charge before standing - it's what non-Ankle Grab zombies do. Keep in mind that this is a medicine that converts you from a semi-mindless, shambling mass of decay, into a good-as-new human. It also does "slow, molecular work" according to the flavor. --LouisB3 03:34, 7 Dec 2005 (GMT)

Also keep in mind that if you have to Ankle-Grab skill, that reduces the AP spent standing up as a Zombie and as a revived survivor.--Cheeser 21:01, 30 August 2006 (BST)

One of the cool things about this game is that you cannot be permanently killed. You may have to spend some time as a zombie, or lying on the ground--but if there was no penalty for being killed then everyone would essentially be invincible. Especially zombies, who would stand right back up in battle after being killed. It does suck waiting for the AP so you can stand up etc., but it promotes the player to choose his moves and actions carefully, and play strategically to avoid the consequences of death. This in turn makes the game more fun, for me at least.--Tser 11:59, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

It's a fair game mechanic, if you want to reason with the almighty kevan, go to the suggestions page --Angusburger 21:44, 23 October 2008 (BST)

What do the name colors mean on the map?

Whats the deal with all those color shades over people's names? The blue, red, and green.I've always assumed it meant online status.--Zaruthustra 22:56, 9 Dec 2005 (GMT)

I'm almost certain they correspond to Scientist, Civilian, and Military, respectively. I almost never bother looking at the people on the map, anyway, unless I'm scanning for zombies, which show up as white. --LouisB3 00:25, 10 Dec 2005 (GMT)

Yup. "Other citizens of Malton appear on the map as names in coloured boxes (the colour matching their class; green for Military, blue for Science, red for Civilian and grey for Zombie); they also appear in the location's description." --Zaruthustra 03:30, 19 Dec 2005 (GMT)

Can I spend XP gained as a survivor when I'm a zombie?

If I have exped up 70 exp as a survivor and get turned into a zombie, will I be able to use it as a zombie? If I get it as a zombie and get revived, will I be able to use it as a survivor? If I die as a zombie, will I be able to use it when I stand up? --Janzak 10:21, 22 Jan 2006 (GMT)

Yes to all of your questions. XP stays with you no matter what, at least from my experience. Feel free to change this statement if it is incorrect though. --Ed base 05:52, 24 Jan 2006 (GMT) No, you're right, exp is carried over. I recently died with 303 exp, spent 300 on some zombie skills, was revived and still had three, then died again, keeping all the xperience.

In fact, I'd recommend this! I was struggling to raise XP as a survivor, but as a Zombie with a 50% hit chance, I quite quickly racked up over 400XP by killing off other Zeds (it's even quicker if you can find humans!) then managed to get myself revived, and racked up 4 skills. A very useful level boost :) The hard part is getting the revive, but if you're a bit more organised than me you can contact a group and point out how useful you'll be once you've spent your 400+ XPs on human skills. --DeadMeatGF 14:58, 5 June 2006 (BST)

Same experience here. I actually found it harder to level as a human. That could just be because I was incredibly lucky as a zmobie though. (Q: What kind of silly harman enters a wide open, ransacked building with a zombie in it and stays there? A: Bra!nz! Haha. Oh how I suck.) –Xoid ^S•T•FU! 05:39, 16 June 2006 (BST)

It's a very useful tool, you can get upto 300xp as a zed, then go human and get free running, first aid and diagnosis. Then you can go anywhere and get tonnes of xp for healing survivors! --Angusburger 21:50, 23 October 2008 (BST)

Healing survivors AND zeds alike... In fact, you get twice as much XP if you don't get First Aid, since it takes twice as many FAKs to heal someone! Instead of First Aid, might I recommend Bargain Hunting, to find all the FAKs you'll need? ;) --Dr Heward 19:29, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Can I choose which zombie to attack/revive?

Is it possible to select which zombie to revive from within a horde? Syringes are expensive so I'd rather use them on those who's profiles look more like humans and who will appreciate revivication. I'd also like to attack the strongest zombies first if I'm on a killing spree. --Reverend Norm 13:39, 25 Jan 2006 (GMT)

There is some limited ability to do this: if any of the zombies appear in your contact list, you will recognize them and be able to select them for actions like revivification, healing, or combat. Except for that, no, zombies all look alike to you. --Fred Dullard 21:44, 25 Jan 2006 (GMT)

Recent changes to the way the DNA Extractor works makes this quite possible. A sucessful extraction, which may take a few times if the target has Brain Rot, will display the extracted targets profile link which you can use to assist in your revivification/attack selection. For example, the YRC suggests that its members and volunteers use this method to help them determine on their own if a target should be revived, ignored, or attacked, rather than having the YRC maintain a public 'Do Not Revive' blacklist. --17:59, 20 October 2006 (BST)

Yes, but only under certain circumstances. You must have the zombie in your contacts list in order to choose any targe but "the zombie". If you happen to be in an active battle with a zombie, you can click and add their profile during the battle, enabling you to select their name and fight the one which is attacking you at the time. Bentley Foss 08:31, 12 Feb 2006 (GMT)

Also, if your browser's "back" button is enabled, you can resolve your combat first, and then click back through your history to recover the Profile ID#s of zombies that spoke or attacked you. Using back doesn't cost AP or IP hits (but don't confuse yourself by leaving open your out-of-date window). --Tycho44 18:31, 15 March 2006 (GMT)

Do worn flak jackets show up in inventory?

If I started with a flak jacket, can I drop all flak jackets in my inventory without stopping wearing the one I started with?

- It makes no difference what Flak jacket you wear; they don't take damage and last for ever (unless you drop all your jackets). If you want to drop all but one just make sure you've always got one left! -- Norminator 2

- Uh, I'm not quite sure what that entails. I think that my flak jacket disappeared when I put it on--do I just keep it forever or did I drop it when I dropped the ones visible in my invo?

- Jackets are not useable items to be put on. When you acquire your jacket, and it appears in your inventory, that means you are wearing it. It is being worn if it is visible in your inventory.

...And Again

Is there any game effects that happens when it says "...and again"? -- Shadow213 02:58, 8 Feb 2006 (GMT)

Yes: If more than one zombie (or the same zombie multiple times) uses their Feeding Groan skill between two of your actions, it'll say "...and again".

Actually, it doesn't have to be Feeding Groan, though that's more likely. If the same message repeats uninterrupted, subsequent messages are reduced to "...and again" messages to save space. --Snikers 18:56, 11 Feb 2006 (GMT)

To clarify what they said: successive (uninterrupted) strings of actions ("X attacked you for 4 damage" or "feeding groan x blocks here and x blocks there") will be replaced with "...and again" and the timestamp of that action. If the attacker does a different amount of damage or another action occurs and interrupts the succession, the list will begin anew. (This change was made to save a bit of data transmission.) Bentley Foss 08:35, 12 Feb 2006 (GMT)

Just noticed this, if more than one zombie is killed in the timespace it becomes 'another'. Eg "XXX killed a zombie (15:26PM), ... and another(15:27PM)" --Preasure 13:36, 5 March 2006 (GMT)

I recently noticed that if a flare is fired from the same spot in close repition it will say "...and again"

--crazygerbil 20:43, 22 May 2007 (PDT)

Contact List Limit

Is there a limit of how many people I can add to the contact list? I keep getting told I'm not logged in. -- ToRsO bOy 05:10PM, 11 Feb 2006 (GMT)

150 I belive. It will tell you the limit when you hit it. The not-logged-in is probably because the address doesn't start with www. For example, http://www.urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=194859 should be fine, but http://urbandead.com/profile.cgi?id=194859 will probably give you not-logged-in error. At least I had that problem. --Brizth ^W! 17:14, 12 Feb 2006 (GMT)

Thanks. Much appreciated. -- ToRsO bOy 05:44PM, 11 Feb 2006 (GMT)

Large Negative AP

Should there perhaps be a limit on how negative one's AP can get? I found the effect of manufacturing a syringe with 1 AP left to be humorous rather than annoying, but maybe alot of people recharge fully before going around again, so a cap of maybe -10 would be nice. JoeHunt 20:08, 20 February 2006 (GMT)

If you think this should be the case, visit the Suggestions page and create a suggestion for it. --Grim s 03:44, 23 February 2006 (GMT)

Incidentally, scientists trying to circumvent the 50AP limit by manufacturing syringes at 1AP just give Zombies another good reason to smash NT buildings and devour everyone foolish enough to sleep inside. --Tycho44 17:16, 23 February 2006 (GMT)

That's the reason why most players keep an eye on their AP! ;P --Forlorad

You can get way more syringes using 20 AP to search - Apocalyptic Doom

To further note on this, that negative AP must still be recovered slowly, so the only reason to do this would be if the next login won't be in well over 25 hours. It also comes with the risk of sleeping in an NT, a high-profile target.--Kolechovski 21:47, 28 August 2008 (BST)

Will Ankle Grab be of use to a survivor?

I play as a survivor, but I'm wondering if I could use Ankle Grab. If a survivor with AG gets killed, he probably only has to spend 1 AP to stand up as a zombie. But if a zombie with AG is revivified, does he spend 1 AP at standing up as a human? If so, it could probably be pretty useful for standing up at clogged Revivification Points. --Janzak 13:15, 4 March 2006 (GMT)

Yes. Ankle Grab reduces all standing actions to 1AP regardless of status. Unless of course you die as a zombie from a headshot, then it costs 6AP. --Preasure 14:31, 4 March 2006 (GMT)

Maximum characters for speaking?

What is the maximum number of characters that can be used in a single speak action? For now I'm assuming that it's around 256 characters based on the length of the messages that I've seen, but does anyone know for certain? --Lord Kelvin 18:05, 27 March 2006 (BST)

Yes, it's 256. After typing 256 characters into word and pasting it in, the box wouldn't accept any more. The profile descriptions are 256 as well, so that makes sense. Spray cans it's 50, and it's the same for the group field on your profile.--Preasure 09:43, 13 April 2006 (BST)

You can't attack yourself.

Okay, when i was standing as a zombie with 3 other zombies, i decided to attack them. When i tried to attack them, there was a text "You can't attack yourself." What is this? Are zombies so good pals with each other, that attacking one feels like attacking yourself, or what? And i am 100% sure that there were zombies with me --Harbingerofdespair 17:57, 28 March 2006 (BST)

To the right of the attack button is a drop-down box with a list of players/zombies in the area. You must select someone to attack from this box before you press the attack button. I'm pretty sure there's no "self" option in this box as there is in other actions that require a target, but you could have been in a small window of time when something was being changed. --coleProtocol 06:38, 06 April 2006 (GMT)

There's actually something about this in either Bug Reports or Known Bugs. Go find it and post your experience of the bug. --V2Blast ^P! 04:00, 10 June 2006 (BST)
I'm pretty sure if you attack a person but they've already moved out of the area you get this message. I don't know for sure, and if this does happen, I don't know if it carries over to zombies. --Swmono ^{talk - W! - SGP} 02:51, 13 June 2006 (BST)
Here's an example of what might have happened. If you try to use a FAK on someone, you request a URL called "use-h". When you click the button, the browser attempts to POST to the use-h page. Now if you attempt to refresh the use-h page by pressing enter or clicking the 'go' button instead of pressing F5 or Ctrl+R, your browser will attempt to GET the use-h page instead of POSTing it again. The difference is that a GET doesn't maintain your POST variables, and the use-h page assumes that, if there is no target specified, you are trying to use the healthpack/FAK on yourself. In short, I believe you tried to GET the attack page instead of POSTing to the attack page with a viable target.--Dr Heward 19:35, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

DNA extractors, Revive Syringes and Zombie stacks

Ok, the basic question is this: how does the game select which Zed in a Stack of Zeds is going to be affected by the action of a DNA extractor or Revive syringe?

Let me give a scenario which might help make this less of a "short essay" question and more of a "multiple choice" question. Say the servers have reset and you have a stack of 5 unscanned Zeds; 3 unrotted, 2 rotted. You press "DNA extract" five times, and get lucky; five successful scans including the 2 Rotted Zeds. You now know where in the stack the Rotters are located; they were scans number one and five. You want to revive a Zed. You extract twice more, which loops you to the beginning of the stack and successfully extracts DNA from Zeds #1 and #2 (for no XP of course). If you use a syringe as your next action, will it be applied to :

A) the next Zed in the stack (which in this scenario is the third Zed, who is not rotted)

B) the most recently DNA Extracted (#2, who is also not rotted)

C) the game completely ignores who/how many Extractions you have done when you switch to a different instrument (the syringe), and automatically starts you at the 'top' of the list (which is a rotted Zed)

D) this is a trick question because once you have fully scanned a stack of zeds you can't scan through them again, so you never get back to Zed 2, let alone Zed 3. You are f**ked, your wimpy scientist has to kill (with his fists) Zed #1 (who is maxed out and "bodybuilt") before he can do anything with any of the other Zeds.

Follow up question (for extra credit of course), how does Zed activity affect this? If you get attacked, will a revive syringe automatically target the zed attacking you? (I think the answer is yes). Can you DNA extract them first (to make sure they are not a rotter) and still have them be the target of the syringe? Thanks all. TheBerts 02:34, 4 May 2006 (BST)

From my experience, it is definately not B, and I don't think it is C either, although I cannot be 100% sure. I would guess it is A, and will try to test that soon, if I get a chance. If you're being attacked, you can use the Can I choose which zombie to attack/revive? response above, I believe. --mBread 22:14, 10 May 2006 (BST)--

Thanks for the response. I have been getting more experience with this problem, and I agree that "B" is right out. However, I also suspect that "A" is incorrect. I am actually starting to think that a "modified C" scenario takes place; the game does ignore which Zed was scanned last, but switching instruments moves one to a second list tracking which Zeds have had revives attempted on them (ie. it does not move you to the top of the overall list, it moves you to the next "unsyringed" Zed, skipping past all Zeds upon which unsuccessful revive attempts were made by other survivors). The game definitely tracks all scans from DNA extractors, in sequence, even when made by multiple survivors. If every survivor was independant from others, they would each start from the top of a stack, and noone would ever reach the bottom of a 50+ stack of Zeds. I did receive a "all specimens scanned" message while scanning a stack of 66 Zeds at a revive point. So, I think that for each stack the game has two lists, one tracking which Zeds have been DNA extracted, and one tracking which Zeds have had revives attempted. If this is true, it would be immensely frustrating, because there would be no way to use DNA extraction to help avoid wasting revive syringes on rotters.--TheBerts 05:45, 11 May 2006 (BST)

Well, to add my share to this topic, with my Necrotech account I scaned in a stack of Zeds at revive point and found that this zombie was not a rotter. So naturally I used my syringe and found out that my attempt was foiled by a rotter! This deffintly falls into anything but B. (pardon my spelling) (also I'm new to this, how do I add the date in whatever time we use around here?) Logster

Sharing Items

Can I give an item to another player that is in my inventory? If I drop an item, then another player searches the area, do they find the item? Or does the item disappear? Thanks.Mstcrow5429 08:05, 21 May 2006 (BST)

No, their is currently no way of trading items with other players, due to its easily abused nature. Trading may be added in the future. Dropped items simply dissappear.--The General ^{W! Mod} 09:03, 21 May 2006 (BST)

there might be less potential for abuse if you could only give and not trade, that way we wouldn't have an inflated economy like runescape. but zerg-hoarding would still be a problem. maybe they could turn off the option when you try to give to your alts? chaosvolt 12:36pm, 3 sept 2007(central)

How do "they" know which ones are your alts, and not just your roommates' characters, or the characters of someone on your ISP who uses the same IP address as you do? Would you knowingly register a character as an alt, knowing full well that if you do, the only "bonus" is you can't give yourself a FAK or a shotgun when you need it?

Infection Kill

Can an infection kill? I'm hiding out in a building with 1hp and an infection with no First Aid Kits. Oh, if someone near North Blythville could heal me, that would be awesome. I won't give my location on here, send me an e-mail at brekkeboy@yahoo.com with a link to your profile so I know you're human and don't want to eat my brains. --Andrew Past 13:42, 21 May 2006 (BST)

Yes. Yes it can. --A Bothan Spy^{CDF - WTF - U!} 14:03, 21 May 2006 (BST)

Darn... Well, I'll need someone to come heal me then. I just hope a zed doesn't find me first. :( —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Andrew Past (talk • contribs) .

No offense but... why didn't you read the wiki on bites etc? and go to a hospital? --Angusburger 21:57, 23 October 2008 (BST)

Flak Jackets

Do flak jackets wear out after receiving enough damage, or are they a constant? Thanks. Mstcrow5429 01:46, 22 May 2006 (BST)

they're a constant and don't wear out. if you are a brainrotted zombie, you might want to have two for safety though, in case of accidental dropping. --Vista ^W! 08:57, 22 May 2006 (BST)

That just happened to my zombie alt... :( --A Bothan Spy^{CDF - WTF - U!} 09:09, 22 May 2006 (BST)

Brainrot causes zombies to randomly drop items? --Mstcrow5429 09:14, 22 May 2006 (BST)

If only...</daydream> No, but if you have Brain Rot and you accidentally drop your only flak jacket it's very hard to get revived so you can find another. --A Bothan Spy^{CDF - WTF - U!}

?rise

What is the ?rise command?

When you take an action in game the gets requested like http://www.urbandead.com/map.cgi?barricade (for barricading) or http://www.urbandead.com/map.cgi?use-h. (for using a first aid pack)in the adress balk. Due to the fact that the stand up button only appears when the zombie is dead some zombies are manually typing the command ?rise in the adress balk of the browser and keep refreshing the page untill they have died. They do this try to make sure that they stand up before their bodies are dumped. It is used as a way to cost the active defenders more AP to remove zombies from their safe houses.--Vista 17:59, 27 May 2006 (BST)

What are the ways to heal?

Could someone give a comprehensive list of this, or point me to one on the wiki?

I was under the impression that you could only regenerate hitpoints by application of healing skills, or standing up from death/revivification, but now I have more hitpoints than I remember having before, and I didn't die in between. Does that necessarily mean someone went by and healed me, without me noticing? -- bkhl 20:02, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Everyone in the game has a maximum of 50HP or if they have bought the skill body building then they have a maximum of 60HP.
You can be healed by :
1. First Aid Kits (FAK's) which you find in hospitals and malls. You can heal yourself or other people can heal you so they gain XP.
2. Wine and Beer can heal you for 1 or 2 HP, but its slow and inefficient. You can find them in pubs and clubs.
3. If you are a zombie or die in general and you are killed then you stand up with your maximum HP.
4. If you are a zombie with digestion when you successfully bite a survivor you gain 4HP.
5. When you are revived you stand up with half your maximum HP (25/50HP).

Note: If a zombie bites you and they have infectious bite then every move that you make apart from talking will cost you HP as well as AP, until it is cured with a FAK. If you buy bodybuilding it does not automatically put you up to 60HP you have to heal the extra 10HP to get it. --Marie^{The Grove} 14:43, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

How do I edit my character's profile?

how do i edit my guy like his discription and group??? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Zombine5555555 (talk • contribs) at an unknown time.

When you are logged in as the character you want to change the description of, click on the character name (just below the map) to bring up your profile page. In the bottom left hand corner there is a button to "edit your profile". Click that, and enter the descriptions and group name in the appropriate boxes -- boxy ^{T L ZS Nuts2U DA} 02:37, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Official Stats

Where can i go to view the OFFICIAL stats of certain Groups. Many people say they have 100 members when they really probably only have 3 or 4. Is there any way to verify? Terrible Man 14:30, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

Group numbers are shown at http://www.urbandead.com/stats.html --Preasure 16:54, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

Infection question

If you have 1AP with an infection, and you use a first-aid kit, do you die or get healed? Jonny12 ^Talk 23:41, 24 December 2006 (UTC)

Good question...I don't know, and I have been playing this game for a year now. Guess I will have to try it some time!--Mayor Fitting 01:19, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

You will heal yourself before you die. -Skoadathon 11:39, 4 Feburary 2007 (UTC)

I started with a book. Why?

Why did I start with a book? I'm a Necrotech Lab Assistant. I started with the usual DNA Extractor, but I also started with a book. Anotherpongo 08:33, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

I thought they always started out with a book. --Cap'n Silly^T/W/P/C

08:35, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

Oh. Thanks. --Anotherpongo 13:21, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

Another thing. Does everyone start with a book or only Necrotech Lab Assistants? --Anotherpongo 19:11, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

Well, I'm a Scout, and I certainly didn't start with a book.--Andre Aloisius 20:00, 21 February 2007 (UTC)

It's probably a flavour thing, since Books are hardly used in UD nowadays. Perhaps it's supposed to mean that Lab Assistants are inherently bookish... Robert McFarlane 12:41, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

Dropping items

If I drop an item near others, will they find it by searching? Or if I drop something is it effectively destroyed/deleted?

— Qwip 02:52, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

To my knowledge, dropping an item makes it go away. Others cannot find it. Pedentic 02:37, 12 March 2007 (UTC)

Pedentic is right, once an item is dropped it's gone. --Toejam 14:14, 12 March 2007 (UTC)

Well I guess if I find something I don't need (e.g. my 3rd length of pipe), there's no point in trying to drop it near a group of other survivors. — Qwip 14:36, 12 March 2007 (UTC)

Using feeding drag

I tried simply walking out of a building while holding onto someone low on health and they didn't come along with me. How are you supposed to use this skill?--Bluish wolf 04:24, 5 April 2007 (BST)

It's a special attack. You select in your attack dropbox like like you do with a bite or claw attack. The target/victim must be at 12HP or lower or the attack doesn't work. The attack deposits both you and the victim outside. I have no knowledge if barricading prevents it as well, maybe somebody else can answer that.--Vista 08:48, 5 April 2007 (BST)

Barricades do stop feeding drag from working. --Toejam 12:34, 5 April 2007 (BST)

Lv 41...

Looking at the stats, why are there so many people at lv 41? Why is it that much harder to get to 42 and 43? --Clyde Randall 19:26, 23 April 2007 (BST)

The level system used in Urban Dead is setup so that a characters level is equal to the number of skills a player has, there are currently 42 levels but since Brain Rot makes it extremely difficult to become revived most survivors do not get it. If I recall correctly Infected characters are recorded on the game stats page as being a level higher then they are, thus creating a level 43. - Vantar 21:15, 23 April 2007 (BST)

I think that being revived is the flag that gets people to be level 43. -- SgtBop^{Talk|Maris Viridis} 03:40, 10 July 2007 (BST)

How can view another player's HP?

How can I do this? I don't want to waste HP trying to heal someone that has full health.

There are three ways to see another player's HP:

Heal them,
Attack them,
Or buy a skill to do it (Scent Blood and Diagnosis let you see a player's exact HP, Scent Fear gives you a rough indication.)

Those are the only ways to see other people's health. So if you want to heal people, you just need to try using your first aid kits on random people. Healing gets much easier when you buy diagnosis. Until then, your best bet is to ask if there are any injured people in the building, or head out to a suburb where there are likely to be lots of injured people, or create some injuries yourself. --Toejam 17:12, 30 April 2007 (BST) Another good tip from the Doctor's guide is to try using FAKs on survivors beginning from the bottom of the stack (the pull-down menu next to the "Use first-aid kit on" button). Start from the bottom because the characters at the top have been there longer and if they needed healing when they arrived, they're more likely to have been healed already by some other character who can diagnose.

How do you see your own profile URL?

I was joining a group when I realized I didn't know what the url for my character was. I look and googled it and stuff but at most it said something like www.urbandead.com/profile.cgi It doesn't have a number like the other profiles when I search them. I don't want to move my alt so I can see it either... PLZ HELP!--TheCapn157 04:23, 7 July 2007 (BST)

Wow, you're really freaking out. Just try clicking your name at the bottom of the page and... look at the URL at the top. Don't yell at me telling me you've tried it until you have, and make sure to click "Back To The City", not pressing that lil' nifty "BACK" button on the browser. Pressing the Back To The City (BTTC) allows you to see if anyone said something in response to... a question you asked, or. if. anyone. stabbedyouintheeyeballs. These are important things to know.

OmegaLord 17:12, 7 July 2007 (BST)

Adding Zombie profiles

Can zombies view each others profiles and add them as contacts?

Yes they can, but not as easily as survivors can. When a zombie speaks, kills someone, attacks you, destroys the barricades/genny/radio then a link is available so that you can add them to your contact list -- boxy ^{T L ZS Nuts2U DA} 02:51, 22 June 2007 (BST)

Can you see when a player drops stuff?

My question is, can you tell when a player drops an item, and if so, can you tell what he dropped? by: chaosvolt

Nope, it's totally secret. -- T 10:51, 24 August 2007 (BST)

i see, thanks. -chaosvolt-

Is a headbutt the same as a bite?

Does a zombie's headbutt attack(obtained by wearing a mask) have the same accuracy and damage as the bite(attack replaced by headbutt)? The description for the haedbutt in Headbutt says, "you headbutt XX for 3 damage." Is that right? If so, is there a balance for the lower damage(maybe higher accuracy?)

Yes damage and accuracy is the same for both attacks. However unlike Bite, Headbutt does not cause infections.-- Vista +1 07:26, 16 September 2007 (BST)

Doesn't bite do 4 damage and headbutt do only 3, both at 30% accuracy (all skills except tangling grasp)? That would make bite the better attack, unless headbutt is particularly good for low-level players or something. --Toejam 14:36, 17 September 2007 (BST)

The headbutt page says it does 3 damage, bite does 4...headbutt has to higher accuracy.

What skills are avialible when you're dead?

Since you can only have the option to buy surviver OR zombie skills at any one point in time, what skills can you buy when you're a dead body? Maybe you choose the skill tree you could use last(e.g. dieing as a surviver means you can buy surviver skills as long as you stay down)?--volt 03:48, 25 September 2007 (BST)

I was a survivor then got killed; IIRC before I stood up I could still buy survivor skills, so I assume that before they stand up, bodies of killed survivors can buy zombie skills, and bodies of killed/revived zombies can buy zombies skills. --Toejam^{Stats Graph Updated} 19:22, 25 September 2007 (BST)

Question on radio messages

Okay, I know I ask a lot of questions, but I can't being curious. My current question involves the messages you recieve when retuning your radio. One time I retuned it, it said "The radio begins to hiss static" but when I went to another station, it said "The radio's reception becomes clear". Does it have to do with when it was last used or something?

This came up on Talk:News once, and here's the relevant part:

Swiers said:

It tells you whether there is a transmitter in the city tuned to that freq. If there is not, you get a message like "The radio hisses static and then fades to silence". Only If the freq is actively in use (IE, there is a transmitter tuned to that freq somewhere) will it say "reception remains clear".

--Toejam 13:11, 13 October 2007 (BST)

Question on strange Zombie Attack Message

This might be covered somewhere already but I cant seem to find it. Basically have recently become a zombie and am waiting in a revive que with 20 other Zombies. On the same block is a known Pker on my contact list who also happens to be a zombie at this point in time. So I thought I would use my AP to make his life a bit more difficult. I can target him no problem to attack but everytime I try to attack I get a message that says "Your target moves away before you can attack them." Why is this? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Mikeb35 (talk • contribs) at an unknown time.}}

It's because your target is either revified or dead. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by PudgeisImba (talk • contribs) at an unknown time.

Maybe target isn't a zombie but a corpse. He can be target but attack will have no result. - Bug MacLock 09:51, 8 August 2008 (BST)

Message log

Is there anyway to access a log of messages you get throughout the game?

No.-- AHLG T G THE END IS NIGH! 04:38, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

It is possible press the back button on your browser to view what has occured in your session. --Twin paradox 10:50, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

Yes, on some browsers. -- AHLG T G THE END IS NIGH! 05:01, 1 May 2008 (BST)

It's possible for someone to write an extensions to output game logs but as of current the closest thing is Mortal's GM script.--Karek^maps?! 05:12, 1 May 2008 (BST)

Can an infection be cured while you're a zombie?

I had an infection when I died. If someone uses a first aid kit on me before they revive me, will I have an infection when I stand up? --Ms.Panes 21:57, 30 November 2007 (UTC)

No, your infection will be cured. In fact, it's considered good practice among revivers to use a fak on a zombie before reviving them, although this does not seem to be a very common practice. --Pdeq^Talk* 08:55, 26 December 2007 (UTC)

I don't understand Pdeq's response. The infection is gone once you die. If you get revived, you get up at half your hit points and have no infection. You don't re-die because no one healed you. --Ram Charger 09:11, 26 December 2007 (UTC)

Actually, thats nonsense. When you die of an infection, you keep the infection. If you subsequently get revived, you will start losing hp again every action you take, starting with standing up. I have been revived enough times against my will to know this to be true. There are plenty of suggestions in the archives to make infection go away on death or be cured with the syringe. None have been implimented, because, to be blunt, being infected is a minor nuisance, no more, no less. Carry a FAK or two at all times and you are pretty much immune to infection harm. --The Grimch ^{U! E! WAT!} 10:10, 26 December 2007 (UTC)

Listen to Grim, he is right. Infection doesn't go away until someone, anyone, uses an FAK on you, when they do it doesn't matter if you're alive or dead it will cure the infection. Nothing else will cure infection, only FAKs.--Karek^maps?! 00:57, 27 December 2007 (UTC)

My apologies;I stand corrected then. Perhaps I was just cured at the same time as being revived. Guess I need to carry a FAK with my syringes now... Seems kind of silly, but we don't make the rules.--Ram Charger 10:04, 27 December 2007 (UTC)

It is more efficient for the infected/revived person to carry their own FAK, and cure their infection when they stand up after revivification. That way they also get an additional 10HP on top of the 30 (25) they stand up with after revivification. If you heal a zombie, then revive them, they still stand up with half their maximum HP, regardless -- boxy ^{talk • i} 10:11 27 December 2007 (BST)

True, but you can't count on people (especially new players) always having a fak on them, so I suppose a reviver has to judge if it is worth the extra ap expenditure to make sure every person they revive gets cured of infection. --Pdeq^Talk* 18:47, 27 December 2007 (UTC)

They'll learn sooner if you don't mollycoddle 'em ;) -- boxy ^{talk • i} 10:01 29 January 2008 (BST)

Nothing like death to teach folks a lesson, eh? --Pdeq^Talk* 08:20, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

They'll learn pretty fast never to stray far from a hospital.--Karek^maps?! 10:11, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Bite not causing infection

I have the infection skill, but not every bite causes infection. Is this a bug?== I bit someone and got the message "You bite playername for 4 damage. They drop to 46 HP." but the thing is, I have infection. Sometimes it has the text saying I infect them, sometimes it doesn't, even if it's my first time biting them. I thought infection was supposed to be 100% effective, so why didn't it work? --Ms.Panes 17:40, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

Do you also have Scent Blood? If not get it, as you might be biting people who are already infected and might not have Body Building. Otherwise, yes, it is a bug, a rather old and constant one at that. You should be able to find it in Known Bugs or in the Bugs Reported More Than Once section of Bug Reports.--Karek^maps?! 18:32, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

I am running out of pistol bullets what do I do

plese help me Ryal

Look for a Police Department or Mall near your location by going to Suburb and clicking on the name of the suburb you are currently in(it will lead to a page with a map). --Karek^maps?! 03:59, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Pistol clips can be found at Police Departments, Mall Gun Stores, and Fort Armories. Ioncannon11 22:09, 21 May 2008 (BST)

The Stack

Playing as a zombie for the first time, when I enter a building and all the players are listed, what defines the order? Is it order of last action? From least to most active?--Ross less ne s s^{Want a Location Image?} 18:19, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

The target list is ordered the same way it is for fighting zombies. Least active at the top, most active at the bottom. Zombies always under Survivors, Non-mobile objects(generators, barricade, etc.) at the bottom. The only difference is that you can target each individual character in the stack.--Karek^maps?! 02:13, 8 March 2008 (UTC)

Reviving?

I have been trying to figure out how to revive for a while now. every time i use the syringe, it never produces a button to ask me if i want to revive. is there a certain place i should be looking? i always read the profile, but i can't find any button where i can revive the zombie. --Lozer killa 03:49, 28 July 2008 (BST)

The first question that I'll ask you is if you have the skill "Lab Experience." Without that skill, you cannot use revivification syringes. If you're scanning zombie profiles, you're using a DNA extractor and have the "Necrotech Employment" Skill, but cannot yet use syringes. -- KF

^PK_Talk 08:36, 28 July 2008 (BST)

I do have all of the reviving skills, but i think i have discovered why.

Groups?

I have searched and searched and cant find a single article on how the game mechanics with groups work, i know what groups do, but i cant find any article on how they are created--Tjayh913 00:18, 7 October 2008 (BST)

If on the map.cgi page of Urban Dead (ie the normal page, the one you play the game on) you click on your character's name, then on the next page click the "Edit your profile and settings" button, there's a space for entering a group name. You can enter a new or existing group name there, and then when you click the "Make changes" button, the game'll treat you as if you were a member of the group. That just means your character's stats will affect the group's stats on the stats page (but only if the group has ten members, smaller groups won't show up), and any feeding groans you hear from other members of your group will be described as "familiar". --Toejam 07:16, 7 October 2008 (BST)

How do you make a group Page?--Survivor 1 04:24, 24 December 2009 (UTC)

How to add a contact

I know the user name of the friend so how do I add them to my contacts without actually meeting them in game? Aka Paradox 03:37, 18 April 2009 (BST)

Either get them to send you a link to their profile page, or look them up here, and then click on the "Add xxxxx to your Contact List" button. You have to be logged-in to the character whose contact list you want to add them to at the time -- boxy ^{talk • teh rulz} 07:19 18 April 2009 (BST)

Delete account?

in the frequenly asked questions It's either a run of bad luck, which can happen and has to happen to someone, or it's the game's anti-abuse countermeasures kicking in - if the system detects a number of characters apparently controlled by the same player and working together, it will adjust their dice rolls to stop them gaining an unfair advantage over other players. i have lots of accounts(no longer playing them)if i losing my luck because of this accounts,so i must delete them for best luck.so how can i delete them? Kara Murat 21:57 December 2009

If you haven't logged into a character for over 5 days, It will Idle and will have no effect on zerging countermeasures. --Ross less ne s s^{Want a Location Image?} 20:06, 3 December 2009 (UTC)

The anti-cheating mechanisms only kick in if the account is considered active. Characters that have no-one log in for five days go inactive and no longer appear on the map and do not affect your other characters. --

.

. <== DDR Approved Editor 20:07, 3 December 2009 (UTC)

Unable to save settings

I'm playing on a chromebook and when i go to set my description, even if i click make changes, it will not save. the only thing i can think that might be doing it is my ad blocker and the fact that my chromebook has web blockers installed by the school. I've tested the ad blocker (adblock plus) but i obviously can't test the web blocker to see if it's messing with it. Any recommendations on how to set my description? (http://wiki.urbandead.com/index.php/User:Critinfinite) 9:13 February 2017

I'm no expert, but could it be a cookie issue? A ZOMBIE ANT 23:20, 28 February 2017 (UTC)