How do you survive?

[sharpshot4321]

I just died in a build 32 survival, ending on 19 days, 8 hours with 689 zombies killed. I just don't know what I could have done differently to survive.

I never left my home area for 24 hours, but it was always loaded to the brim with zombies. It was a struggle to get two blocks away without my character becoming exhausted (from either running zombies safely away or just killing them.)

Don't get me wrong. I love the challenge. This is far more that I have run out of my own ideas then I can't handle the difficulty anymore.

So for anyone who has survived a long time in build 32, got tips?

[Blasted_Taco]

Dude you got 19 days, you did very well for the difficulty ramp up.

 

 

But as 19 days passed with about 689 kills, i guess that might be the main source of the problem? I mean you can out-run zombies, you can plan ahead of where you want to loot next, so you go there, lure the zombies away (Q and then try to lure them into a building) or use the new added noise bombs, they really are a game changer right now.

 

You don't need to kill every zombie that you found either, if your home area was loaded to the brim with zombies, maybe it was time for you to hit the road and get a new home? Like a bit away from the center of the city.

[postm00v]

My record still stands at 8 days 

 

Around that time I find a sledgehammer, and can't resist to bring it along, even though I'm overburdened. I only recently purchased PZ, but I enjoy it immensely, even though I die all the time.

[lucy the axe]

I only recently purchased PZ, but I enjoy it immensely, even though I die all the time.

Me too

[sharpshot4321]

I reason I stay in cities at all is the need for a saw. No real long term growth can start without it and getting into areas that can have it is always risky, so a long run into the city can end badly if I have nowhere to rest.

[valhalla_bound]

I don't

[MacSupreMe]

Get out of town as soon as possible, typically I hit the large warehouse and head to the McCoy Logging Co buildings. The centre one is a pretty good spot, losts of exits in the event things go south, HOARDS OF LOOT. Keep quiet, only run if you need to. Sneaking is paramount to your success.  

 

Don't go out of your way to get stuff, keep it simple in the beginning,  don't look for fights with Zed, try your best to avoid them and risks. Once you've established yourself outside of town and have a decent weapon you can start making runs into town. As you accumulate resources take half your survival gear, weapons, canned goods, water etc and put it in bag and stash it somewhere "relatively" close to where your shacked up.

 

Find the supplies for a TENT

 

You DO NOT need one safehouse, having multiple places to hideout is paramount. It doesn't matter what you build or where you build it, just get that carpentry skill up. Same thing with farming, just do it. Find an open spot in the woods and build, farm, set traps etc. The woods are the best place to be, forage you'll find berries eventually (FYI for some reason there are some places in the deep forest you can't forage, Devs should probably check into that).

 

Survey and clear a house before entering and looting.

 

Don't just walk into a house, walk around the entire house to ensure that there are not zed on the outside, If there are Zed, they will bang on the doors and attract more. Clear them out on the outside if its managable (5 max if your not buffed). Look in all the windows before entering, make sure theres an exit strategy. Enter house and CLEAR BEFORE LOOTING! Check all the rooms before you start looting stuff. You need to secure the house before you turn your back to open space. 

 

Rinse and repeat for all buildings. If there are too many Zeds, don't risk it.

 

I only use guns when I've been bit and I'm going Kamikaze. Shooting off guns will not solve any of your problems, they'll only make things worse. You are not going to be able to kill all the Zed, the more you shoot, the more there will be. If you are going to shoot, then ensure you are in the absolute opposite direction of your safehouse(s). Guns should only really be used to draw zed away from something, but again, that sets you in their sites. Make sure your Athletics and sneaking are high if you absolutely must shoot off a gun.

 

The Axe is your absolute Best friend, Treat it good. Maintain it, keep it in tip top shape.

 

Eat and cook your fresh food now, save all the canned foods, chips etc.

 

PZ is a game of patience, if you rush, you're dead. If you get complacent you're dead. 

 

There is a whole lot more of advice but I believe this covers the basics.

[KorruptkSwades]

How do I survive ?.... Run, Shoot, Piss my pants, Run some more,  hmmm.. Run faster, Shoot some more,     run... run and eventually flee safely

 

[Invader Jim]

I just died in a build 32 survival, ending on 19 days, 8 hours with 689 zombies killed. I just don't know what I could have done differently to survive.

 

 

How did you die?  It used to be the only way you died was if you made a mistake. Now bad luck is actually a real factor. 

[Tharkus]

First im going to answer the op:  " i dont survive ( max 5 days if im lucky )"
i play the game since when the zombies looks like egg head aliens hahaha 

and always survived 5+ months, i agree that was too easy, but now.. i feel its too hard, mostly at the beginning.
ive always followed my rules: go "ninja" and  try to not fight more thant 2 zombies at the time (but now that is almost imposible because the quantity of them everywhere)..

[Marinus]

Last run with build 31 lasted for over 3 months before I got bored.

 

Tried built 32 for the first time. Was ded in 4 hours. 

 

The old ways don't work anymore apparently.

[e46s13]

Mine was 29 days, but I think it would have been 4 if I hadn't backed up my save every once in a while.

What I do is save often and back it up. If I'm in trouble, I just reload the backup save. There's just waaaay too many zombies (a cluster of 4-6 close to EVERY house). Couldn't find a trowel either or a saw.

[XxZeraphinexX]

Survived between a few hours up too a few month

First - Start location diffrent strategies for WP or MD. but mainly, get to a warehouse south east in WP or the north or south of MD.

Have a list of prio items you need. for me Saw,hammer, nails, seeds, trowel books for the skills, in MD the fishing once are not needed.

Items nice to have: Screwdriver,axe,sledgehammer, cooking equipment

 

If you have the mandatory items, find a remote location which fits your play style

i prefer the house at the lake in WP and either the Warehouse way south of MD or the Railyard or house in the woods with well.

Food is a nice to have thing. If you have space, grab as much non spoiling stuff as you can, but you always can get this stuff later in game when you setteled somewhere.

 

I mostly die when i try to find my main stuff and later on mostly because i really wanna have a sledgehammer to get safe places for loot runs

sheetrope window 2nd floor, take out the stairs but yeah, if you stay safe in your spot you can make it a long time.

With Hydrocraft mod, you can life for ever, since you have way more options for food conserving and also ways to make more nails and stuff.

with vanilla your days are limited to the point you run out off canned stuff and hit winter... only hopes are then get enough fish and forage stuff, but that depends on luck and skill.

[TheGentleman]

Note, I play a modded game on sandbox with changed settings.

 

 

Generally when it comes to surviving I find that first you need to ensure you have a all the necessary supplies. This would be food, a axe, a saw, a backpack, and some other bits depending on how you play. For example, I enjoy using guns to clear out isolated areas that have no value and luring most of the zombies to that area.

 

After that find a good safehouse, generally I stick to warehouses due to how easily they can be secured (Most have few windows, but a number of doors) However now I have looked to other places which are quite isolated (IE: Up north beyond West Point)

 

After all of that it's up to you. The best thing I can say is play it safe and only take things that you're certain you can handle.

 

Though I will also say that you will always have to worry about luck, sometimes you get lucky, other times you get unlucky. My last game I made into a week and was in the middle of fortifying a new safehouse across the street from the Academy in Valley Station when I fell and broke my leg. I succeeded in securing my safehouse but I had neglected taking a lot of food with me and I ended up surrounded by a massive horde. After 3 days of sitting around hoping for my leg to heal I went out to try and gather food from the academy. Let's just say that around 200 zombies decided to help me out.

[PintLasher]

The way to survive with the new zombie amounts and settings in survival mode is to find a sledgehammer IMMEDIATELY!!  Then simply destroy a stairs and make your first safehouse somewhere quiet.

 

 

I made a huge mistake but have survived for a month now. I thought it was longer! It certainly feels longer. Currently in my game I have secured the upstairs of Enigma Books, but after a month I have waaaaay more than a thousand zombies in the cell. With a sheet rope on every window I can always make it back without any trouble, even with the insane amount of zombies! But moving my stuff is going to be insanely hard and I kind of wish I'd picked somewhere safer for a first safehouse. A few people have mentioned warehouses and secluded, far-off houses to be the best places to set-up camp. You would be wise to listen to that advice!! Do not under any circumstances pick downtown West Point as your safehouse!! Climbing down any rope and going onto main street is literally, actually terrifying (well done devs!) and any day now I will make a mistake and die, I just know it. Sometimes when I climb down the rope I climb right down onto and into zombies but somehow I always make it out and always make it back up too even when they go through the biting animation (some kind of climbing/vaulting animation immunity?) I haven't save scummed this character yet and have survived 3 scratches... Might be a good time to do it since I'm going to start moving my entire safehouse somewhere better tomorrow. Sometimes I have to pause the game after that initial 2 block run to give myself time to stop shaking and take a breather lol

[XxZeraphinexX]

the top 3 of places to stay for me with diffrent setup to get there

 

http://pzmap.crash-override.net/#0.5612112694479666,0.11148687251966595,95.39621664406894

House near WP - Items you should have when you get there:

saw,nails,trowel,seeds,pot,bowls,kitchen knife, some non spoil food,fishing rod,1 mousetrap,books for all skills (at least the first 2 books)

 

Why? You can forage there very good, so axe and hammer can be made and even they don´t last long you have nearly infinte of them.

Setup right away a few fields of diffrent seeds (i do in the begining depending what i could get on my way there 2 of tomato,cabbage,potato)

You can fish there, nearly no Zed gets there, you can farm, have trees to lvl capentry and build stuff, unlimited water

 

2nd spot

http://pzmap.crash-override.net/#0.41091326903859676,0.15593911107671807,95.39621664406896

House in the woods with a well

Items you should have when you get there:

saw,nails,trowel,seeds,pot,bowls,kitchen knife, some non spoil food,fishing rod,1 mousetrap,books for all skills just not fishing since there is no water near by.(at least the first 2 books)

About the same setup up like the above one. farming, foraging, tree cutting and repeat

with the well unlimited water.

 

3rd

http://pzmap.crash-override.net/#0.827788201276161,0.12255710238620386,95.39621664406896

 

this is a little diffrent. here i prefer to take all i can grab from my starting point since it´s not far from buildings you can always go back.

mainly i grab books,food and cooking stuff as well 1-2 weapons.

Why? This is a warehouse and has mostly (depending on luck) all items you will need like axe,sledgehammer,nails etc.

If you find a sledgehammer you have a fortress get some sheetropes and get rid of the stairs, then i usally get some dirt up on the roof and setup a farm. the off is, Zed get there more frequently then the other both, but it´s no prob since you are safe without stairs and you can quick raise you capentry skill up to 2 to build windows on the roof to have more exitpoints to get stuff from downstairs.

Also water isn´t a prob since the river is near for fish and water, and the northern woods are good for trapping as well getting wood,

the southern woods aren´t as safe but still wood and trapping. only off is that atm you can´t forage around there except the southern woods.

[utkez]

While I think that current zombies numbers are way too high, I can agree that build 32 is a puff of fresh air. Before, game became easier and easier with each passing day; now it's getting harder and harder. 

 

The tip from me is: run asap! Loot the first house, take everything you can and get out. Find yourself on the map, and plot a route to the nearest/desired safehouse location outside of the town (I prefer this small house in WP http://pzmap.crash-override.net/#0.608777972305035,0.13012504632437144,341.82189187166824, or see XxZeraphinexX comment above). Do not stay in the city. Do not stay in suburbs. Loot houses on your way, but don't let that slow you down substantially.

 

After you get to the safehouse, start raiding nearest houses while you still can. In a few days there will be hordes of zombies everywhere. If you are lucky, you'll find all essential items to start growing food, fishing or trapping.

 

P.S. I don't know why, but I find hammers everywhere. I hoarded about 10 of them in a first game month. I guess that will be my main weapon for months to come

[Torres]

Like they said up there, you can't "outfight" the horde... as of this new version you have timers and clocks to distract them.

 

It's amazing how you can just take a pistol, run a few blocks away from where you want to loot, fire 3 or 4 shots and hide. Next thing is you'll see all the zombies getting there, if you're lucky enough and you have some whisky bottles you can make a couple molotov cocktails and free some room.

[WoodMan]

http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/15407-player-base-thread/ 24 days. My record now i create new game in survival of course.

[Pleisteichon]

i'm very curious, you all make safehouses in the forest and very far from the city, why? you have to travel a lot to get to the city and it makes it very troublesome to carry all the items to the safehouse. why not make a house near the city, for example: http://pzmap.crash-override.net/#0.6454265515985765,0.17223226035792352,295.81481423205804

 

Near the city and it has a lot of trees, the problem is the amount of zombies but clearing the zone will make it easier to build. but if you make the safehouse and walls, wouldn't it be much easier to get suplies and travel?

[utkez]

the problem is the amount of zombies but clearing the zone will make it easier to build. but if you make the safehouse and walls, wouldn't it be much easier to get suplies and travel?

 

Is it actually possible to clear the zone in build 32? I am not sure, but I got the impression that they are spawning much faster than I kill them, even when I used fire… 

[WoodMan]

i'm very curious, you all make safehouses in the forest and very far from the city, why? you have to travel a lot to get to the city and it makes it very troublesome to carry all the items to the safehouse. why not make a house near the city, for example: http://pzmap.crash-override.net/#0.6454265515985765,0.17223226035792352,295.81481423205804

 

Near the city and it has a lot of trees, the problem is the amount of zombies but clearing the zone will make it easier to build. but if you make the safehouse and walls, wouldn't it be much easier to get suplies and travel?

 

Because i don't need this items. I have everything what i need. And zero zombies near my base.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PintLasher]

 

the problem is the amount of zombies but clearing the zone will make it easier to build. but if you make the safehouse and walls, wouldn't it be much easier to get suplies and travel?

 

Is it actually possible to clear the zone in build 32? I am not sure, but I got the impression that they are spawning much faster than I kill them, even when I used fire… 

 

 

In older versions of the game I actually completely cleared out Muldraugh and looted every house up as far as the highway trailer park and the Pony Corral... In the new versions with the zombie spawning system it is simply not possible... Zombies dont spawn in the cell you are actually in but they do migrate from outside that cell into yours. Muldraugh and surrounding area used to have a set amount of 7000 zombies. Thats how many I killed and the entire town was incredibly peaceful and safe bar the odd straggler. Not so in the new versions. TBH I kind of want a sandbox respawn setting of 0 with a normal zombie count. I find that much more realistic, but I understand that survival mode is meant to be not only a challenge but an impossible challenge. "This is how you died." Before that going a year or more was easy so long as you played it safe and cleared out all the zombies block by block, street by street.

[wanderinbilly]

Indeed, 19 days and an insane kill rate seem to be the clue. Do you you get cocky or comfortable and end up letting your gaurd down? Y'know, just open a closet w/o thinking and get jumped? As has been stated, the trick is to be where a large pack or horde is not and, if it is somewhere that you don't want them, then to herd/lure them to a place as far from you as possible.

[XxZeraphinexX]

 

 

the problem is the amount of zombies but clearing the zone will make it easier to build. but if you make the safehouse and walls, wouldn't it be much easier to get suplies and travel?

 

Is it actually possible to clear the zone in build 32? I am not sure, but I got the impression that they are spawning much faster than I kill them, even when I used fire… 

 

 

In older versions of the game I actually completely cleared out Muldraugh and looted every house up as far as the highway trailer park and the Pony Corral... In the new versions with the zombie spawning system it is simply not possible... Zombies dont spawn in the cell you are actually in but they do migrate from outside that cell into yours. Muldraugh and surrounding area used to have a set amount of 7000 zombies. Thats how many I killed and the entire town was incredibly peaceful and safe bar the odd straggler. Not so in the new versions. TBH I kind of want a sandbox respawn setting of 0 with a normal zombie count. I find that much more realistic, but I understand that survival mode is meant to be not only a challenge but an impossible challenge. "This is how you died." Before that going a year or more was easy so long as you played it safe and cleared out all the zombies block by block, street by street.

 

You can have this setting just set the amount of Zed at starting day. Peek day would be day 1, respawn rate 0 and so on in the advanced setting for zombies you can do a lot to fit your playstyle.