Cities: Jackpots or Deathtraps?

SKiPPY · 2013-09-20T03:30:37.000Z

Without a doubt, a City can be one of the hardest locations to loot, especially if you’re a newbie who keeps forgetting how to equip there weapon (those days SUUUCCCKKKKEEDDD). Yet at the same time, a city just happens to have ALL the resources you could ever want and/or need. From apples to Zip-up jackets, ammo to medicine, and everything in between, there are very few items that can’t be found. But is it worth fighting the ludicrous amount of zombies, both regular and special (assuming you use static spawn, of course)?

Eh. For some things, maybe, but I just don’t see the point in risking it until you have tons of firepower.

Nightraids, on the other hand, could work…as long as they dont hear you…which they usualy do…

So does someone want to prove me otherwise? Cause I’m calling any City a [glow=red,2,300]deathtrap [/glow]right now!

KA101 · 2013-09-20T03:35:46.000Z

Night-raider, Dynamic. Maybe I ought to futz around with this new version.

(Night Vision, Martial Arts and/or Cutting/Blunt melee. Crowbar doors. Don’t use a flashlight for more than one turn, and not if you’re within range of a lot of windows.

SKiPPY · 2013-09-20T03:41:09.000Z

[quote=“KA101, post:2, topic:3124”]Night-raider, Dynamic. Maybe I ought to futz around with this new version.

(Night Vision, Martial Arts and/or Cutting/Blunt melee. Crowbar doors. Don’t use a flashlight for more than one turn, and not if you’re within range of a lot of windows.[/quote]
In dynamic, sound spawns zombies. So that is why it may be easier to do night raids, assuming you are quiet.
But in Static, it is less effective…I think.

keldoclock · 2013-09-20T03:58:28.000Z

Cities are not so hard to deal with, if you have a crowbar or lockpick, and don’t try to bite off more than you can chew. In fact, cities are probably the best places to live- pretty much every resource is available and there’s lots of opportunities for skillgain. Usually I pick a house on the edge and live there.

Tally · 2013-09-20T04:40:41.000Z

You can just board up or close the shades on every window of a house. No zed can see into it, and short of scent or any noise you make within, they won’t know you’re there, even in the heart of the city. I find it a good strategy to, during long journies through a city, prepare several safehouses.

Used to be you could just ignore everything with a good enough vehicle, but now that there are countless broken down cars and wreckages in city roads, that is no longer an option. You have to pick a small vehicle, like a (motor)bike and drive at a careful speed, which can open you up to being surrounded if you drive too far in. And oops your motorcycle wheel just got busted on that Z in front of you.

John_Candlebury · 2013-09-20T06:14:27.000Z

Also bookmarking this one, if you dont care.

But adding to the thread:
Cities are definitively a great resource, even a day 1 character can explore most of the suburbs of the city proving that they hold a fast melee weapon (faster than 85) and use windows and shrubs strategical. And if you like being an archer, level 4 archery and nice arrows will work against everything but the rare hulk.

Regarding the new vehicles, its often smarter to move wheels to the back and plate and place spikes in the front of the vehicle.

Weyrling · 2013-09-20T07:08:02.000Z

Here’s my strategy for static mode, zombie count 150%, note that I take parkour expert, it is a lifesaver in cities.

I start off by looting the outskirts until I get a decent amount of storage, messenger bags and backpacks usually, I grab up all the food/drinks that will spoil first (pizza, frozen dinners, orange juice, apple juice, etc) and leave notes all over my map so I know where to go for tools/equipment/food later.

After that I collect up a bunch of rocks (60-80 depending on storage) and throw them at zombies, with very low skill and 10-12 dexterity you can usually kill a zombie with 4 to 8 rocks depending on your luck, I’ll lead a half dozen/dozen zombies out of town, stone them to death, then butcher and loot them.

Once I’ve got a decent throwing skill and/or a decent/good melee weapon, I head further into town, luring off small packs of zombies to a nearby house, pry open the window with a crowbar, climb inside, close the window, then smash it (A broken window takes more movement points than an open one). I throw rocks out the window until they’re severely weakened, then train my melee skill on them.

When my skills are good or I’ve managed to hit a gun store that had ammo and a gun that can use it (or hit 3 or 4 gun stores usually) I start to lure off larger and larger groups of zombies. Once I get a sub-machine gun or an assault rifle and a few hundred ammo I start running around town with a shopping cart and just looting everything, shooting off any zombies that get nearby, if I start to get swarmed I just switch to burst fire.

Zireael · 2013-09-20T09:19:39.000Z

I am now playing a mutated archer scientist. Set up a base on the outskirts of the town and happily plundering house by house. Full Night Vision means those pesky zeds can’t see me until they have 3-4 arrows stuck in them.
Did I mention I’m lugging a military rucksack + a leather backpack on myself and haven’t yet got bitten even though I sometimes melee zeds?

youtoo · 2013-09-20T14:45:55.000Z

early game its a deathtrap. like most roguelikes by later game you can plow through stuff. you get guns, some explosives, ammo, motorcycle (its hard to move around all the cards in the road), bionics, positive mutations and you can toast stuff.

a_porpoise · 2013-09-20T15:16:22.000Z

With default settings, any town is a very risky proposition for a character that’s just starting out. I usually just hit the road and hope that I find enough dead scientists for their water to carry me over for the first couple of days. By the time clean water becomes an issue, I usually have some sort of weapon to feel comfortable for a first raid on a town to grab a pot/pan.

youtoo · 2013-09-20T15:47:30.000Z

you can make a stone pot now. i believe it requires cooking 1 and survival 2. not sure if this changed with the latest release since they added fabrication.check the wiki.

Weyrling · 2013-09-20T17:22:50.000Z

A lot of the risk in towns is running into stronger zombies early, but if you circle the town a little bit you can usually find a place with far flung houses that only have a couple zombie dogs and a dozen or so zombies, which are easy enough to kill or escape from.

Always remember to get a pointy stick or a crowbar from the evac shelter before you leave though, otherwise you can’t deal with the zombie dogs.

Protester · 2013-09-20T19:38:18.000Z

is it wrong i raid large cities during the day? i just casually slink around between houses and stay off the street. if i see a bunch of zeds somewhere i will mark them on the map and stroll around them, in doing this i have createed a strange map of “safe routes” through the city. i do try to take out the weaker pockets if i can. raiding at night just seems too risky to me, i’d rather see the danger in front of me than accidentally stumble into it.

vultures · 2013-09-21T04:04:46.000Z

a) Stick to open spaces, streets are waypoints
b) Obtain a getaway car
c) Don’t challenge toughest opponents without a powerful gun and sufficient ammo
d) C.A.T.A. = Codeine, Adderal, Tramadol, Aspirin ; Use them wisely, stock on bandages and FA kits.
e) +10 movement points for the Filter Mask is worth it.

StopSignal · 2013-09-21T05:02:06.000Z

Usually i make a crowbar and a pointy stick. I wander by the roads until i find a lonely house. Then i raid it and try to kitekill all the zombies of the place. I try to close the Windows and curtains, and then i loot the house. I try to find pots, gallons, clean wáter, food, aspirins, and backpacks. Then, i try to find a good place to live, if i can’t find anything i use the house. I try to see if i find a gas station, i syphon the gas from other cars and use all that into a car in the road. I don’t use all the fuel: i try to drive it to the gas station to replenish it. Then i use it to clear an área of the city, i raid the houses, and there it goes…

TheNineRings · 2013-09-21T05:25:26.000Z

I personally think of cities as both a crucial early resource and a death trap. Here’s what I do.

The first thing I do is make some sort of weapon. I personally prefer a wrench as an early weapon, but typically have to settle with the crowbar. I go to the nearest fringe buildings and loot a couple of them for a few crucial early supplies. Namely storage containers, a sewing kit, water, and hopefully some first aid kits. After I’ve gotten that, I set off on the road, surviving off of the plants and the like I find, training my combat skills on what I encounter there. I find that if I try and loot a city more than a small amount early on, it’s a sure way to die.

Tally · 2013-09-21T05:52:17.000Z

With the introduction of duct tape as an item and as a component to bandages, it really isn’t very hard to make bandages en masse. Go find a liquor store, and you’re set.

Of course the problem is that you need a level in first aid to begin with. Go find the book or have an NPC teach you if you can finish their quest. Or you could just use a point on it.

SKiPPY · 2013-09-21T14:25:12.000Z

[quote=“John Candlebury, post:6, topic:3124”]Also bookmarking this one, if you dont care.

But adding to the thread:
Cities are definitively a great resource, even a day 1 character can explore most of the suburbs of the city proving that they hold a fast melee weapon (faster than 85) and use windows and shrubs strategical. And if you like being an archer, level 4 archery and nice arrows will work against everything but the rare hulk.

Regarding the new vehicles, its often smarter to move wheels to the back and plate and place spikes in the front of the vehicle.[/quote]
I LOVE that you are book marking these. The fact the someone actually wants to use this as a reputable source of knowledge makes me feel like I’m making a difference in the world. OMG, I FEEL LIKE WIKIPEDIA (not really, lol)
But seriously, knock your self out.

SKiPPY · 2013-09-21T14:27:17.000Z

Ok, you guys have some great strategies, but what are your starting stats? I can’t trust my self to handle more than two zombies at a time really.

UberZacht · 2013-09-21T15:08:53.000Z

My character’s stats always vary depending on what build I’m gonna be going for, like a stats focused, a ranged character, but for melee, it’s pretty simple. About 10-12 strength (soaks up damage and more melee damage), 8 or 10 Dex (ten gives a minor to hit bonus, but if you want the points for traits take eight), you could raise intel down to 4 if you want, I never bring it below 7, and 9 in perception because of mines, 10 if you don’t want to wear sunglasses.

And you can pretty well cheese most zeds w/ windows, car frames, and shrubs with almost any character with a good weapon. You should at least use choke points, because more than one zed at a time on flat grounds is bound to be injurious early on.