Field Guide. A few helpful tips...

Guest

Ok clan. So here is the work in progress called TF115 - Field Guide . Most of it is probably known stuff, but hey... I've seen so many people die in the most ridiculous ways, that we can't really lose too much by having this here, right?
Btw... this is the stuff I remember. I will come back and add stuff, and I welcome all to participate, either by commenting on what is written, or by posting your own tactics.

So here it goes:

About your build, levels and such.

There are quite a few good guides at the forum. Search them, read them. It will be a big waste of time if you create a kind of build that simply doesn't work. Still, you might just have a bad build, for RP reasons. That is perfectly ok. A good player, can still be good with a not so brilliant build.
But this isn't a build guide. I'm supposing, each one of us has it's objectives build-wise, that is, and will leave this subject alone.

The need for speed.

Those of you that have played with me, know that I am the little speed freak. I like to do things fast, to be constantly on the move, avoid hits, loot even when around aggro, etc.
So, I can't really stress this enough:
Become fast enough. What is fast enough? Don't ask me, I think I'm too slow as it is, and I have more than 70 agi. Be as fast as you need to be in order not to get killed (or otherwise bored, because instead of moving from screen to screen, you drag yourself).
Speed isn't the only must. The shift key is a must. Dont ignore it... don't use it sometimes. Even if a zombie is faster than you, he will stop when he takes a swing at you. So, changing the rythm of your walk/run is as important as just keep running around from zombies.

"But I really can't outrun them..."

Yes you can. You don't need magical powers to outrun and play around with even longarms. Train it.
Next time you go out to kill zombies, don't.
Instead go to a red or deep red zone (or a purple... or, well grey, if you're too unsure), and start dodging them. Eventually there will be aggro (if not, make aggro) - there you will have the perfect oportunity to put that gun aside and just dodge the bastards.
There will be a maximum of 8 zombies that will come in your direction. So, those will be your playthings.
Rinse, repeat, get crazy and do it in multiplayer. Let others do the killing. You will dodge and play with zeds.
If you shoot your gun or swing your weapon, it will be only to keep them away and as an emergency.
The same applies in loot runs. In most of them you don't really need to swing your weapon not even once, let alone shoot your guns. If you need to, you are probably playing the game wrong.
As stated by many a player, you can go into deep loot runs even if you are a low level. You go in, you come out, you make a profit and never hat to hit anyone (or for that matter, got hit).

Some random tips while playing solo (or not).

- there won't be more than 8 zeds at a time attacking you. Always know that when you kill one, another one will appear.
- be quick to recognize possible dead ends. This is an obvious example (but there are less obvious - learn to id. them):

Field Guide. A few helpful tips... Noend

Field Guide. A few helpful tips... Noend

In this example, the little space between the wall and the bus isn't a possible way out. If you back away towards that place in the hopes of escaping alive... good luck. As I said, there are other not-so-obvious examples.
- Try to always have an eye at your energy counter. I usually try to keep it above 50% when under pressure. Why? So that I can give that little sprint that will put me in a safe place. If I get below 50%, I make sure I know what % I actually have.
- Don't fight while hungry. Period. Your stats will suffer greatly (why am I so slow all of a sudden?), and your exp gain also (btw, this and other stuff is in the wiki, check it)
- Relax. This one goes with the dodging training I mentioned before. If you start getting nervous, you will start running out of alternatives. Think. There usually is a way out of every situation. So, keep your cool at al times.
- Contour (?) blockades quickly. Take the picture above. Imagine the bus was a little bit to the north. Now you can pass through it. Maybe it's a claustrophobic thing I have, but I usually sprint around those obstacles. I am kidding with the claustrophobia, of course. You do not want to get pinned down in such a tight place (there are exceptions). You have +50% energy left? Use it to contour that big and long bulky thing. On the streets, usually the empty space is your friend. (see why during the outbreak most survivors died? They were too busy blockading the roads)
- Be careful of doors and specially so of stairs. You have been warned. Point your gun at them and always be ready to fire
- Learn to loot while moving. Don't always stop completely in order to press "F". It is possible to loot and move, many times it is the only way to loot.
- Remember once again. You can stop zeds by approaching them and then backing away. I cannot stress this enough. It's one of the most overlooked tactics, and one of the main reasons why ppl suck at the Junk Yard approach.
- When mass killing zombies, be aware of the surrounding terrain, specially the little objects in your path. With the killing of zeds, the blood starts to splatter and actually covering everything. That little object that made you bump before, might now be partially or totally covered. I was once hit by a zed like this. There was something in the middle of the road that was V shaped, and totally blocked my path, while 8 zeds were in my only route of escape.
- If you are a gun user, watch good melee players. They have to dodge, to move.
- Try to control your reloading times until you get good enough at reloading. For me, this means, selecting myself when I reload, and not being surprised by it. I usually imediately reload, unless I can't.
- Use the screen change for reloading. When you get to the other side, you are completely reloaded.
- Round-up manouvers are pretty useful when you are fighting several zombies. The idea is to circle them, in order to put them all in a cluster. When they are in that position, you will make most your shots count - even if you don't hit the main target, you can get the one near that one. Besides, having them in such a tight group really hinders their movements, and keeps them in check.
-If you're searching inside of a building, especially multistory buildings, try to head to the top floor first. Once you get there, pick a wall and follow it. Some of you might recognize this as part of the "right hand rule" often used to help people find their way out of mazes. All you do is follow the wall to the left or right, and eventually it will take you to every room on that floor. This is especially useful if the floor has many, many large rooms - as it's easy to lose track of where one has been.
- Borrowing from strategy games lexicon, know this: Crows don't have a "zone of control". They are simply too small to stop you on your tracks. What this means is that you can go right through them (under them) and they won't manage to hit you. In general, crows can't hit you if you keep on the move. Use this to your advantage - when there is no way out with the exception of that place where a crow is comming flying, go there - even if you are reloading and can't fire your weapon. Just go right through the bird and to safety.
- Know exactly how many bullets your gun takes to kill a zed. For example, my actual pistol takes exactly 3 critical shots to kill a charred zombie. Since I have 80% critical chance, that means I usually get them with 3 or 4 shots. Use this to your advantage - it helps you to save money and to be quicker to aim at other incoming zombies, not having to worry about that one anymore (as you are shooting it, you know it will fall). This can be extended to SMG's too. I can't count exactly the number of shots, but I'm so used to the number of shots I use in each different zed, that I more or less know when they are done for (yes, I pay attention to criticals amongst the lot of shots I fire). This one is ignored by many a player.

Improvised outposts (I'm supposing restrooms, and restrooms only)

- Bring a melee weapon, or buy one when you are inside the (newly created) outpost. Breaking the barricades, anyone?
- If you raise too much aggro in a restroom, be prepared to have it stormed endlessly. I personally have a big distaste for creating aggro in a zone where the only way out is exactly the place where the zombies are coming from. But that's just me.
- If your outpost get's atacked you will probably log in near to the (only) exit. So... go in that direction, firing away your guns, preferabily at any zed that stands between you and the door. Only avoid following this rule if you have no chance of an imediate escape. But know 2 things: You can push zeds back by shooting them (as well as stopping their atack), so a zed that seems to be too far from the door (efectively blocking you) can be pushed away while you slip through; and know also that by backing away from the door you are finding no solution, and still have to face the X zombies in that small room, with many others probably arriving. So... get out of there.
- If while barricading a zed comes in, there are many things you must consider:
. Do you really need to barricade there?
. Are you almost finishing with the barricading process? If I can recall it takes some 6 seconds (see the wiki for info).
. Is it a very powerful zombie? ia. can it kill you in 1 or 2 blows? You might consider taking those 1 or 2 blows if you are confident that you wont die and will then have the barricade in place. I have done this quite a few times. Why? After getting hit those 2 times, I have my outpost, blast the zed away, go inside the outpost, repair my armor and get my health back. The alternative, has me loosing my only set of planks, my only set of nails, and staying in the middle of hostile territory with a full inventory and a (really) bad mood.

Some zombie mechanics.

When a group of zombies are coming your way, and you want to shoot your gun, there are two basic ways you can do it:
- Sooner or later they will form a line, when that happens, you might start shooting at the first one in the row. If you stop him long enough, the others will scatter and will be replaced by fresh new zombies. You have been warned. All those shots you fired at the others? Wasted. All those neat well behaved zombies in a perfectly controled line? Gone. They are now comming from every direction, yes most likely from the one you are running at.
- Want to kill them all? Diagonals are your friends. They will ruin the beautiful little zed row, and pervent them from scattering away.
... again, stopping them doesn't mean that you have to shoot them. You can approach and then dodge, place objects in their way, ... use your imagination.
... as you know I hold the theory that it is possible to win a Junkyard defense without killing a zombie. I might be wrong.
- When you are travelling with someone that just completed an extermination mission at location X (where you are standing right now), be aware that everytime he or she leaves the room, you will very likely face massive aggro (the same exact aggro that person had before exterminating the area).

Teamwork.

- Know your team. Their weapons, their weaknesses, the way they like to play, etc.
- Respect your team mates. And chain of command, of course.
I follow a very very personal rule (IRL also): I do not believe in faithfulness, but I am dead serious about loyalty. To make this easy to understand, I will put it like this:
- A faithful person will follow blindly it's leader, despite of the fairness/intelligence of it's orders. A loyal person will also follow the orders of it's leader, but will question those orders if they are ridiculous (or if they will put the whole group at risk). I like to play the survivalist, and hate dying, so any order that puts me or my team in risk will be strongly contested.
...trying to explain this in even clearer terms. Be a human being - use your intelligence, don't be a twat that just follows rules.
I have never had to refuse an order given by a TF115 member, because I trust my clan, and I know that, for the best of their abilities, every member has the best of intentions for the whole (my english gets a bit weird, I know... bah). Be smart, access the situation at all times. Criticize if you feel you must. If you are intelligent, you will do fine, and will learn - I promise.
- Stay together, and keep an eye for your teammates, specially those that have less experience or worst equipment. This is obvious.
- Make plans. (for instance... who barricades, who gives support, etc)
- Make back up plans. (think of escape routes, alternative outpost sites, etc)
- Really follow plans. (if the rule is "no loot until destination"... then don't.)
- Divide chores. Don't try to do everything. Delegate some responsabilities, while taking others.
- Be a fun person to be around. For example, don't be a sore loser. It's...just...a...game - Really.
- Know the map. Try having a paper version of it in front of you, or make sure you know how to quickly consult the map without getting killed.
- Be quick to act while remaining calm. Become someone who your teammates can trust.
- If partying with other people outside the clan, you are definitely representing the clan. You have been warned.
- If someone logs off, wait 1 minute for him/her. Changes to this should be planned before. In case of heavy combat, the team might not be able to wait for an absentee member. Everyone should be aware of this.
- If you log off accidentaly, when getting back in the game, and you don't listen anything, fire 1 shot, or swing your weapon a few times.
Wait for a reply from someone else. If you hear nothing, do the same on the next screen (possibily the direction your squad was heading). If you listen to that single shot, reply to it also shooting or swinging. Sometimes bullets speak lowder than words, and it isn't always possible to write.
- Warn your team when your bullet count is low. Don't panic, just inform them. If under heavy attack and without bullets, consider retreating, unless you can hold out on your own (for ex, with a melee weapon). Otherwise you become a burden to your squad.
- Learn to use the communications channel. Don't use it randomly. Having fun and being relaxed is ok, but you have to be able to quickly write an order or some piece of info while under attack. Again, keep your cool and learn to say all you want to say in the least amount of words.
- Try to find a group of letters or small orders that everyone knows and are followed.
ex: E (east) W (west) R (run) O (outpost) go (don't stop/keep moving), etc
- This is one way of quikly explaining a route:
"e,w,n,s" stand for moving one block in that direction,
"E,W,N,S" stand for going all the way in that direction.
In that way, going from the outpost (from the danger zone, not inside) to Lerwillmill Heights, could be something like this:
nEneN, for example.

Outpost Attack (I'm supposing multiplayer, here)

- If you can plan ahead and play with people you know, do it. It's much better to start a defense at the same time, and not having people disconnect in the middle of a rush. It's also great to know who's taking care of what side. If all players could do this before a Junk Yard, there wouldn't be so many lost games.
- Protect your companions in the Junk Yard. Not just because of their sake, but also for your sake and the sake of the defense. 3 usually do it better than 2, since you might end waiting forever for a new player to come along and help.
- Again (and again and again and again), don't be afraid of zombies. Touch them and dodge them. Use those moments to stop a whole line of advancing zeds, to reload a gun, etc. Zeds don't have brains, you do. Doing this or staying the hell away from the zeds can be the difference between winning or losing a game.
- Since the zeds aren't focused on you (most of them, at least), this is a great place to train your skills, and to play around.
- You know the little "moat" on the left at the JY approach? Ok... now, there is absolutely no reason why any zed should be able to pass through there if there is a player defending it. Don't believe it? Try it for yourself or play with me. They can even be green longarms, I don't care. Use zombie mechanics to your favor, and no zombie passes through.
- Using the above tactics correctly, it is also possible to do the same on the right side. So... I hold the theory that with 3 good players the zombies never ever win a JK approach. Remember, you don't need to kill them, you need to push them away. They do die as a consequence of your bullets, though. Razz

- At the main gate, be sure to keep an eye at your partners. If he is atacking zed X and zed Y is approaching, go for zed Y. Trust that your teammate is doing a good job (if he isn't its a whole different ball game) Again, you don't want to kill them, you want to keep them from destroying the gate, remember? They die from bullet poisining.

----------------------------------------
Contributors:
Lorna
BenjiSykes
Zagan
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Please add your own ideas and comments. all contributions welcomed
Hopefully this will turn out to be a field guide for all new Task Force 115 members.
I consider myself merely an organizer and the starter of this project, but hope all of you can collaborate to the best of your knowledge.
All contributors will have their name in the guide, of course. Smile

Lorna out!

PS: Will correct spelling mistakes and such later.

EDIT: I'm putting new stuff I add in green, and later changing it to red when it's old news.

Guest

Nicely done Lorna, I like it. Though, I will always break most of those rules playing solo, I just like killing the zeds when I know I am supposed to leave, but I won't.

Guest

wow... good job ^^

Subject: Re: Field Guide. A few helpful tips... 13/12/2009, 07:59

whoa,thats too long,great job Lorna

Guest

Thank you

I have more stuff to put there. Just finishing watching a movie. Either later or tomorrow I'll add more stuff and re-write what is there.

If you want to add stuff, please feel free. Put all new material in some color so it's easier to identify.

L.

Guest

lol Ok. I should have you add a few things about when looting that I learned. xD When I was level 1, I went out to a trip into the reds... Lived with the tactics that I used with just a pen knife. Kept moving, did not stop, did not attack, kept dodging them all. Only sprinted when they were about to attack me.

Guest

Very well-written guide, Lorna. I think you got pretty much everything. If only the less experienced players in this game had the attention span we do.

Also, don't forget the zombie round-up manuver! (That one's always my favorite)

Also, I've never lost my set of boards and nails when barricading. But then again maybe that's just me. Or the game is sweet on me or something...

Subject: Re: Field Guide. A few helpful tips... 13/12/2009, 10:31

Great work, Corporal L. This will be moved and stickied and whatever later on. This will serve as an excellent training manual for recruits. Again, great work. ^^

Guest

@All.

Thank you very much, guys.

@Benji.

Uhm... I will have to double check that board/nail loss thing. It happened to me a very long time ago, after that I never started to build a barricade and then suddenly stopped. So I'm going to test it again tomorrow at Norman's and see what happens Smile

Thank you all for your inputs. I will add and continue the guide tomorrow.

Good night, Task Force.

L.

EDIT: You are right Benji. I deleted that entry.

Guest

It's really thorough and quite an interesting read. Plus! It's red and green Wink

Ha ha, it's like a Christmas present. Thank you Lorna.

Guest

Lol, ok. It wasn't really the purpose, but I guess it works, too.
Merry christmas, all! lol

Wink

Btw, I'm keeping the updating of the guide, so be sure to check it from time to time.
New entries are in green.

L.

Guest

lol Ok.

Guest

@Benji.

Btw, what do you mean by the round up manouver? When they follow you and you just run around them shooting them, and they stay in the middle?
please explain, so I can add it too. Wink

Guest

Pretty much the "zombie round-up" maneuver is basically where you draw the zombies together into one tight cluster. Makes it easier to manage them, because now you can treat them as one entity instead of several individual threats. Also, if you're firing on them with shotguns or automatic weapons, whenever a shot goes wide of your intended target, it's guaranteed to cause some secondary damage to nearby targets.

Also, something I thought of while I was out, but may help people who get lost easily, like myself.

If you're searching inside of a building, especially multistory buildings, try to head to the top floor first. Once you get there, pick a wall and follow it. Some of you might recognize this as part of the "right hand rule" often used to help people find their way out of mazes. All you do is follow the wall to the left or right, and eventually it will take you to every room on that floor.

This is especially useful is the floor has many, many large rooms, as it's easy to lose track of where one has been. Just my two cents.

Guest

great!
Will add those tomorrow. Now I'm trying to help two poor souls who are being menaced by crows Razz

Guest

Damn those crows to hell!

Guest

lol. I was trying not to touch them, since one of the guys needed crow blood, but they actually started to get overwhelmed, So I had to shoot the birds.

Guest

lol I would have just followed their orders, though that would just be me. :3

Guest

The updates just keep coming.
Please add more contributions, if you have them Wink

Good night all.

L.

Guest

New update, and since I am at it, here's a small theory for you.
During OA, more specifically JY approach, try to stay together with your team, holding some sort of horizontal line.
Do not stray away too much. Why?
I suspect that if you stray too much, zombies will be generated not necessarily from the bottom of the screen, but from the middle of it (the bottom for the player near the exit up N).

Example:
X,Y and Z are fighting together, and near the zed entrance in the S.
Y and Z stay there, but X runs fast N, because a running longarm just passed through him.
He goes N and catches the longarm. He wants to go down and reach Y and Z, but wait a minute, apparently Y and Z are letting zeds pass, so X can't leave just yet, he has to take care of those escaping zeds.
In the end, X leaves much before the others, because (says him), Y and Z were just letting zeds go by.

Y and Z later explain their innocence saying not even 1 zed went by them and they too are pissed because X left them in the middle of the game, which made them lose the JY altogether.
Sounds familiar?
This is just a theory, of course... but I'm almost sure it happens.

Lorna out.

Subject: Re: Field Guide. A few helpful tips... 18/12/2009, 07:39

Makes absolutely perfect sense. Never thought of it before, but I've seen it implemented into just about every other game.

Guest

A relatively effective tactic that I've used with random people XD actually uses the idea of a horizontal defense Lorna.

Another person and myself wielded melee weapons while, one person wielded a rifle. I was surprised how long we lasted and how well we cooperated o.O for strangers..

Guest

Aye, I think people real underestimate the value of rifles in JY, especially with Lorna's strategy. You can bust a cap in an escaping zombie without giving up your position. Not to mention higher-level rifles, in the hands of someone with high crit, can do extreme one-hit damage to tough zombies. weakening them up if not killing them outright.

Guest

Sykes wrote:: You can bust a cap in an escaping zombie without giving up your position. Not to mention higher-level rifles, in the hands of someone with high crit, can do extreme one-hit damage to tough zombies. weakening them up if not killing them outright.

Yes, that.

Subject: Re: Field Guide. A few helpful tips... 19/12/2009, 00:44

My comp lags immensely on MP JY.
I would be way better if there wasn't lag.