Tips, Tricks, and Newb Questions!

[qurvax]

[quote=“Justice, post:937, topic:42”]Edit: This appears to be fixed, already, so be certain you’re using the latest nightly build.

This was a recent issue with the longbow, i.e., firing at yourself when no targets are in range. I’ll update the issue tracker. As a workaround, you can press ‘f’ once and use the movement keys to choose where to fire, before pressing ‘f’ again.[/quote]

I know i’m NOT on the latest nightly… Just don’t want to throw out my char for now. And i’m using f -> movement keys to aim as well. Tried to shoot it at max distance, and at half (so i would be just outside 3x3 explosion radius. Effect is the same - expl. center is right next to my char. Like this:

444
444
4@4

On a side note: explosions when using flamethrower? O’Rlly? Someone managed to make homemade http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RPO-A_Shmel or what?

[Alistaire]

You can close curtains on windows by clicking c on already closed windows!

[martinuzz]

Smoking meth while running your mother over with a semi truck helps numb your conscience

[system]

I have a few questions

1. are there any ways to sneak into a town without alerting any zombies

2. Bite wounds how do I clean them with antibiotics or bandages I have never learned what to use

3. How to fight Z’s I have tried the 1-tile window trick but the Z’s have evolved they move diagonally and I die

I have played Whales cataclysm but never mastered the basics of combat and stealth or medicine.

[woflsipder]

1. if you see a zombie , he can see you. There is no sneaking in the game so you have to be sneaky with your movements and try to avoid seeing zombies. While in houses close all curtain.

2. use soldering iron to cauterize your wounds

3. try archer type character.

[Alistaire]

[quote=“ajwilli1, post:944, topic:42”]I have a few questions

1. are there any ways to sneak into a town without alerting any zombies

2. Bite wounds how do I clean them with antibiotics or bandages I have never learned what to use

3. How to fight Z’s I have tried the 1-tile window trick but the Z’s have evolved they move diagonally and I die

I have played Whales cataclysm but never mastered the basics of combat and stealth or medicine.[/quote]

1. Just be careful; the only zombies that will see you at once are the dogs

2. Cauterize them with your pocket knife or anything else (like a hotplate) that can cauterize.

3. 1-tile windows don’t hold them forever. Your best bet is to run away if you’re too weak - with staticspawn you don’t have anything to lose from running.

[hypno_goat]

[quote=“ajwilli1, post:944, topic:42”]I have a few questions

……

I have played Whales cataclysm but never mastered the basics of combat and stealth or medicine.[/quote]

1. As others have suggested the only way to avoid being seen is not to allow zombies to see you. During the day this can be tricky so try to target outlying suburbs and avoid the inner city. It’s also helpful to go at night when view distances are sharply reduced. Just try to be quiet… a crowbar comes in handy for (nearly) silent break-ins.

2. You can use a first aid kit on a fresh bite wound to clean it (also a hot plate or soldering iron but this causes a lot of pain). Once it’s infected you need to use antibiotics. Wiki link.

3. Broken windows still work great. Stand with the window between you and the zombie. It takes the Z several turns before it can attack once it steps onto the broken window tile, so you get a few free whacks at it before it can fight back. Usually that is enough to kill a standard zombie. Bushes in the forest work great for this too. If you get overwhelmed or it starts fighting back just keep kiting over movement-impairing tiles and beating on it.

Hope that helps!

[system]

Thanks for the tips I used them and got pretty well set enough meds to start my own pharmacy and a bow with plenty of ammo. The curtain closing technique helped a lot while looting. Sadly I got cocky thinking I could go deeper into the town and found a horde, I tried a circle strafing technique firing arrows then running off then coming back to get my arrows eventually the horde over whelmed me.

Oh well that’s what cataclysm’s all about doing good then some thing unexpected kills you.

[woflsipder]

Cataclysm is about gathering food that doesn’t have any meat in it and then getting the carnivore mutation.

[Blaze1711]

Do animals (squirrels, deers, wolves) respawn in static spawn mode? Please tell me they do because i’m all into the hunting (with pointy sticks)thing.

[PiotraperPL]

Do animals (squirrels, deers, wolves) respawn in static spawn mode? Please tell me they do because i’m all into the hunting (with pointy sticks)thing.

No, they don’t.
[move] @ B B B B [/move]
[move]Only the dead will know peace from this evil[/move]

[Blaze1711]

[quote=“Blaze1711, post:950, topic:42”]Do animals (squirrels, deers, wolves) respawn in static spawn mode? Please tell me they do because i’m all into the hunting (with pointy sticks)thing.

No, they don’t.
[move] @ B B B B [/move]
[move]Only the dead will know peace from this evil[/move][/quote]
Damn! I’ll run out of food soon then…

[Wayfarer]

Wow you must have hunted a LOT of animals around your base!

A lot of people suggest looting at night. I assume you use flashlights else you can’t see too well…I have to wonder, doesn’t a flashlight attract them?

[Blaze1711]

Wow you must have hunted a LOT of animals around your base!

I’m in a shelter in the middle of a small forest so yeah.

A lot of people suggest looting at night. I assume you use flashlights else you can’t see too well…I have to wonder, doesn’t a flashlight attract them?

You don’t use the flashlight unless you’re indoors, it WILL attract them. You’re guided (not to bump into a zombie) by noises represented by ??? on your field of vision.

[esran]

actually animals DO respawn, even in static mode. my understanding is that like in dynamic these animals come from a finite pool, and will eventually be gone in an area, but thats never happened to me and ive stayed in the same area long enough to loot an entire town of its valubles from my evac center, while still having animals provide delicious meat.

[Flare]

I gotta agree with the above poster, as far as my version goes, static spawn only affects Z spawns. Everything else, mutants, worms, wildlife, clowns, will all spawn depending on location and the amount of noise you make.

[halberdsturgeon]

Animals spawn dynamically, even in static spawn. Static spawn only affects zombies. You never need to worry about running out of wildlife.

Windows still work for fighting zombies - any tile with a large movement penalty does. Just takes practice. And try to keep the number of zombies you’re facing at once down. Once you start using guns you can afford to be a lot more careless.

Cauterising is a last resort because it causes a large amount of pain. You don’t need a soldering iron, you can do it even with the pocket knife and matchbook you start the game with. If you have first aid kits, use those to treat bite wounds instead. Antibiotics are only for when the infection has entered your bloodstream.

[ClaytonRISING]

Is there an effective way of killing a zombie in melee without taking a hit? I want to learn how to conserve ammo and rely less on firearms, but it’s really annoying having to constantly heal and disinfect/cauterize wounds.

Also, what’s the best way to take on zombie dogs? I find that they can ruin a good scavenging trip lol.

[Rivet]

Until your dodge skill and melee skills are high enough to kung fu battle zeds in the streets you need to use the terrain to your advantage.
Position yourself so your foes have to climb over shrubbery, windows, countertops, vehicle frames, etc. Basically anything that slows and impedes movement. Once they’re in the middle of trying to climb over the obstruction to bite you wail on them like there’s no tomorrow. Because there probably isn’t: this is Cataclysm, after all.

[Slax]

It’ll get better once you learn to DOOOOOOOOOOODGE! Until then, try counting the amount of hits you can dole about before needing to retreat. Know your speed, basically.