8 Months Later Survival Challenge

[Yolan]

Anybody interested in a survival challenge? No set time limits or starting point. You can die and re-try as much as you can. Just meet the basic requirements of the challenge when playing, and post now and then with updates on how things are coming along. 

 

CHALLENGE REQUIREMENTS

 

1. 8 Months Later pre-settings. 

 

2. Only eating scavenged food. I.E. normal food found in houses etc.

(That means: No farming. No fishing. No trapping. No foraging. No worm eating etc.)

 

 

That's it. How long can you survive?

 

 

========SURVIVAL SCORE BOARD=======

 

 

 

Yolan - 8 days, 3 hours

Evilwuun - 6 days, 22 hours

Fire on Asphalt - 6 days, 15 hours

Vichiox - 3 hours

bobchaos - 2 days, 15 hours

Rass, 1 day, 5 hours

[KorruptkSwades]

Anybody interested in a survival challenge? No set time limits or starting point. You can die and re-try as much as you can. Just meet the basic requirements of the challenge when playing, and post now and then with updates on how things are coming along. 

 

CHALLENGE REQUIREMENTS

 

1. 8 Months Later pre-settings. 

 

2. Only eating scavenged food. I.E. normal food found in houses etc.

(That means: No farming. No fishing. No trapping. No foraging. No worm eating etc.)

 

 

That's it. How long can you survive?

*pulls on rubber gloves* challenge accepted      Must not eat wormz 

 

hmm... shouldnt we at least say what the zombie pop should be ? low, normal, high, insane?

[Yolan]

By 8 months pre-set, I mean the pre-set provided by the developers, where the zombie pop is already set to insane by default.

 

It's called "Eight Months After the Apocalypse".

 

Everything scavenging wise is set to extremely rare.

[Yolan]

Died within one minute...

 

EDIT:

 

Got cocky.... 10 hours.

[Vichiox]

3 hours but it was just testing, I swear! I will try more later :'(

[KorruptkSwades]

By 8 months pre-set, I mean the pre-set provided by the developers, where the zombie pop is already set to insane by default.

 

It's called "Eight Months After the Apocalypse".

 

Everything scavenging wise is set to extremely rare.

ooops...... *set to low pop* no shit Im still alive  

[Yolan]

Off to a better start.

 

1 day, 1 hour.

66 zeds down.

 

Currently have a normal hiking bag, a few days worth of food, and a frying pan and kitchen knife. Also found an area not swarming so heavily that I can sleep in tonight again.

 

EDIT:

 

...

 

2 days, 3 hours. Slipped up and got scratched. ;-(  And I had finally reached the bar in south muldarugh as well.

[FireOnAsphalt]

My first few attempts were fairly short. One was 5 hours, the next was 11. This current run is going quite well so far.

 

[Yolan]

Nice supplies! Are you planning on using that shotgun?

 

Edit: New game. Started in the house south-west of cortman medical.

Went right upstairs to the closet. Baseball bat!

 

EDIT:  lol... two baseball bats. Now if I can just get a backpack instead of this tote bag...

 

 

EDIT: .... finds duffle bag in next house.

 

Yikes, too much luck. Now I'm scared.

 

EDIT: Made it to the bar. OK, now I think we're cookin with gas.

 

 

 

EDIT: 3 days 11 hours down. Got an axe now too. Set up in a cabin in the far west forest. Next is to hit pony romo area for food supplies.

[FireOnAsphalt]

I'm currently taking residence in the Picnic Area near West Point. I'd use the shotgun if I could find some shells! The warehouse nearby contained only pistol ammo and a ton of paint... Not exactly my desired supplies.

 

Thankfully the gas station across the street contained those bags of chips and sodas you see, so they should hold me over for a few days. Also, I never realized how useful booze is at keeping your character well-off... It eliminates unhappiness, fills your tummy and quenches your thirst! Not to mention they make a decent water bottle once you've downed the contents.

 

This challenge has been a great idea so far. I never imagined the "8MA" presetting to be as difficult as it is! You can hardly get a break from the zeds...

 

I came across the Picnic Area out of desperation more than anything, as I followed the tracks that suddenly disappear and backtracked to an outhouse I noticed a little ways back. Followed the dirt path and bam, a cozy little retreat. I'm going to have to find an axe so I can clear the trees though... They block more of my LoS than I expected. Also, the agoraphobic trait is a tough one to play with. No more can I rely on my panic to alert me to zombies, since I'm always in a state of panic. But I think this fits the outdoor setting in this gamemode anyways. 

 

Edit: Now you say that you can only eat food you scavenge... There are supplies other than food you can find by foraging. Is it against the rules to forage for sticks and twigs and rocks so you can make yourself a campfire and terrible-quality axes? I was sitting at the campsite and found myself wishing for a campfire... Foraging for these supplies would make my survivor a much happier camper (no pun intended).

Edited August 29, 2015 by FireOnAsphalt

[Yolan]

Foraging for non-food supplies is fine. I just wanted to prevent the "how long can you survive" challenge from being rendered meaningless by the abundant food you can currently get from renewable resources. 

 

Westpoint is a challenging area I think. Are you going to stay there for long?

 

 

Something I've noticed is that if you keep moving you can sometimes find pockets that are totally zed free due to migration, and can easily loot several houses without being bothered. You do need to keep an eye out though for when they come swamping back in.

[FireOnAsphalt]

Well I'm currently trying to devise a tactic to lure hordes to one area... I found some shells and fired a couple at some zeds. The resulting horde was impressive, to say the least.

 

I had quite the harrowing experience looting the Giga-Mart! I sprinted in the front doors with a horde of about 200 on my tail; I scoured the aisles for as many chips and sodas as I could manage before they burst through the windows. I ran to the back of the store behind the deli counter and found quite a few supplies, but I only had time to grab 24 shells before I was set upon by the horde.

 

I made a quick exit out the back of the store and hit the gun store near Twiggy's, but I had no idea it was completely sealed off... I need to find a sledgehammer to break in and I'm not having the highest hopes for that.

 

You're right; West Point is insanely dangerous and I think I'm going to have to relocate before too long. I've fortified the Picnic Area with some log walls, but I don't know how much longer I'll be able to stay. I still have some chips and supplies to last me at least a week, but I'll need to use some of them to find a new safe location.

 

What I might do is find some whiskey and make some molotovs; I have a feeling fire may be my only chance at clearing the city long enough to do some looting. Fire some shells and lure them into a deathtrap. I just hope I don't trap myself in the process.

 

Also, I'm up to 6 days and 15 hours of survival. 

[Yolan]

Nice work! Well, higher danger, but it seems more food opportunities too. Fire sounds like a good idea.

 

5 days and 9 hours in. I've carved out a path to my woodland shack so that I can always find it.

 

 

It's in an area completely devoid of zeds, so while it is far away I can rest safely without fortifications, and also knowing any supplies I stash won't get camped on my a horde. I'm hoping I can build up my running skills nicely with large trecks to and from it. Having the outdoorsman perk is a requirement of course.

 

EDIT: For some reason McCoy logging is empty of zeds. Found a box of nails!

 

EDIT: Another two boxes of nails, and now also everything I need for making a tent set, except for a saw for making the sturdy sticks. If I can get a tent that will make it easier to make long distance trips for looting, camping mid-way. 

[KorruptkSwades]

I'm gonna' restart the challenge with the proper zed pop to insane will keep y'all up-to-date soon ..

[Yolan]

I'm gonna' restart the challenge with the proper zed pop to insane will keep y'all up-to-date soon ..

 

Cool! The more the merrier. It takes a bit of adjusting to but I I am hoping to live for quite a while.

 

 

 

EDIT: now at 8 days, 3 hours. Up around the pony romo.

[bobchaos]

I'ma give this a try, sounds fun

[bobchaos]

2 days, 15 hours :/ first attempt was a pretty epic fail XD

 

Here's the journal:

 

Day 1: I awake in a house and am immediatly aware of a group of zombies right outside the door. I grab everything I can and manage to sneak in a few neighboring houses. I've found a trusty hammer and some reading material but the only food I could get my hands on is a bag of chips and a water bottle. It's going to have to last a bit... Zombies find me while I contemplate my bad situation and a make a run for it. I end up coming out of the wood near Twiggy's which is surpisingly quiet. I sweep the inside for zeds and settle here for the night.

Day 2: I tried to go downtown, clearly it was a bad idea... I got chased around by zombies right out of town and ended up at the camping spot. I found some nice supplies in the kitchen and I thought I could catch some sleep there but I was so tired from running I couldn't even clear the building of zombies. I'll go get some rest in the forest for tonight and clear it tomorrow morning. Won't be sleeping tonight I hesitate to write this, but a zombie managed to scratch me during my frantic escape from the camping spot, hope it doesn't get infected.

Day 3: Still on the run, zombies everywhere, can't get to a bed... so tired... so thirsty... think i'ma just lay down right here...

 

*Edit* I'd never noticed there was a preset sandbox option. It's just great! Challenge or not I think i'ma keep playing this "mode" for a while. Even without the "scavenged food only" rule this is pretty damn brutal

[Rass]

I haven't played "8 months after" since before the latest zombie changes and I was pleasantly surprised by the change in difficulty. I spawned in downtown West Point and I quickly learned that you can no longer run through the restaurant and then sneak into the stores, gather all the food and tools you need and then barricade up here (this used to be my standart 8 months after strategy).

So my badass sneaky character (burglar, graceful, incospicuous) found a purse and got the hell outta downtown. As far as supplies go, the main problem is that I don't have a can opener. Another thing that I need are more nails (have only 5), which leads me to another thing: do I settle down or remain a nomad? I was thinking of using the nails to barricade a building, but I feel safer knowing that I can sheet rope outta tough spots. I might try to wall off the first floor of one of the more remote houses with log walls and set up a sheet rope up there.

1 day, 5 hours so far.

[FireOnAsphalt]

Glad to see we're getting more traffic in West Point. 

 

Finding a can opener was actually one of my first goals, believe it or not. Typically I find myself searching more thoroughly for a hammer and nails or a decent weapon, but I quickly realized that simply keeping my stomach full and thirst quenched was going to be a much larger factor towards my survival than my typical set of tools...

 

Weapons are useful, but with the insane numbers of zombies mulling around, I realized that fighting is something best done in small, contained instances. Once I rack up the booze, I'm going to go downtown and see what I can do about luring the zombies to somewhere nice and open to ignite as many as I can so I can have an attempt at looting the hardware store. I'd like a decent axe as well as a sledgehammer; only then will I begin considering a permanent safe-house.

 

You're right though; the more remote, the better. With the requirements of the challenge, the question is how remote you decide to go. Remember; no self-sufficient forms of food! I realize that theoretically, I'll deplete the entire world of food supplies. However I doubt my character will last that long. If for some insane reason that does manage to happen... Well, I'll starve. There are quite a few supplies though, even with very rare loot settings. The Giga-Mart has tons of supplies still stocked on it's shelves. The puzzle is how to acquire them with hundreds of zombies milling around the aisles shopping for man-meat (no pun intended).

 

For the time being, I'm surviving on the junk food I scoured from a gas station and a wonderfully full water cooler that I discovered at the Picnic Area. I put up a few log walls to make exiting my doors a little safer, and took down enough curtains to cover up all the windows, but I haven't been able to find a saw or a comfortable number of nails. Thankfully I haven't had to worry about large numbers of zeds; my residence seems far enough away to avoid the attention of the hordes.

 

I haven't played my "8MA" save in about a week, but I'm thinking tomorrow might be the day to take it back up.

[Man_In_The_Purple_Hat]

sounds like a good challenge, I think ill give it a shot tonight. however Im leaving hydrocraft turned on, just for the fun of it

[Yolan]

Cool. I've updated the score board. I haven't touched my save in a week either, but I'm alive at Pony Romo. Actually managed to find a trowel. Then I threw it on the ground of course.

[bobchaos]

I haven't played "8 months after" since before the latest zombie changes and I was pleasantly surprised by the change in difficulty. I spawned in downtown West Point and I quickly learned that you can no longer run through the restaurant and then sneak into the stores, gather all the food and tools you need and then barricade up here (this used to be my standart 8 months after strategy).

So my badass sneaky character (burglar, graceful, incospicuous) found a purse and got the hell outta downtown. As far as supplies go, the main problem is that I don't have a can opener. Another thing that I need are more nails (have only 5), which leads me to another thing: do I settle down or remain a nomad? I was thinking of using the nails to barricade a building, but I feel safer knowing that I can sheet rope outta tough spots. I might try to wall off the first floor of one of the more remote houses with log walls and set up a sheet rope up there.

1 day, 5 hours so far.

I've found that being a nomad is not really optional o.O Trying to go in town to loot for food pretty much always ends with me being chased out of town and having to find a place to sleep on the outskirts. I'm starting to think I won't be able to do any better than 3 days until i'm lucky enough to find a tent kit :/

 

If you need nails in WP the south warehouse is a good place, it's not completely overrun like the rest of town. If you've got enough supplies to travel, the logging company in Mul is almost completely deserted and even with super rare loot setting the sheer amount of boxes guarantees at least an axe.

 

*edit* for the scoreboard, my current record is actually at 3 days 14h, but I realized quickly it would take me quite a few attempts to get something reliable going XD I'm keeping journals but they all feel a bit similar at this point. I'll make sure to post the more entertaining ones should I get a good life going.

[Evilwuun]

So I decided to give this challenge a shot, and proceeded to make a hard-hitting carpenter with the hopes of holing up somewhere remote. Suffice it to say, plans go out the window pretty quickly when you're desperate for a place to sleep safely.

The first four days were harrowing, but overall felt like forward progress. After a few close calls looting houses on the northwest outskirts of West Point, I had a respectable bag full of nonperishables and a dufflebag loaded with nails, a saw, a few hammers, rope, disinfectant...all the essentials to set up camp outside of town and settle in t eying to keep the hordes at bay.

All I was missing, as has a way of happening, was an axe.

I woke early on the fifth morning, and set out through the woods and logging trails south of WP, headed to the warehouse on the far south side of town. It was a pretty desperate journey, repeating the pattern of gathering a group of smelly followers and losing them by ducking into the woods. By repeating this pattern, I finally emerged from the woods at the tracks and followed them north.

The warehouse looked like a complete bust. The parking lot was swarming with the dead, and the streets around weren't much better. Determined and foolish, I brought out my pistol and loaded in the single clip I had. Distraction time.

Doubling back through the woods and firing off a few shots did a decent job drawing the crowds away, and I was able to slip in th back door without being seen. A few stragglers remained outside, stopping now and then the half-heartedly bang on a window or door. To the sounds of their half efforts, I searched the crates in the storage room.

To no avail, of course, and my luck wasn't getting any better. As I searched through the containers, the dead I had lured away returned in force, and for whatever reason decided it was time to join me inside the warehouse. I fought my way through the hallway to the offices at the front of the building, and narrowly escaped getting munched on by smashing a window and fleeing. In my haste, I didn't have time to clear the glass from the frame, and a few sizable shards lodged themselves in my right forearm.

Naturally, it was about that time a storm decided to roll in. Drenched, wounded, trapped in a storm, I did the least logical thing I could think of: I headed into town. Pursued by the hordes, I watched the sun set on day five while running for my life, coughing and sneezing, all the while wincing from the glass in my arm.

Miraculously, I managed to lose the hordes smack dab in the middle of downtown, and took shelter for the night in the apartments above the hardware store.

The next morning my cold had cleared up, but I still had glass wedged in my arm, and without tweezers to pull it out I couldn't get to work stitching the wound. After choking down a can of beans, I set out searching for a first aid kit in the housing development just north of downtown. Twice I almost got bit, and one of the dead did manage to sink a nail and leave a gnarly little scratch. In the end, though, I got my paws on a First Aid Kit, complete with tweezers, needle, and thread. Before I was able to fix myself up, the Windows gave way and I was forced to make a hasty exit.

Feeling much less hurried, I took my time clearing the yard of a house not far from where I found the kit. One last check around the perimeter, gave my self the all clear, and got to work popping open a window.

I don't know where she came from, or how I missed her clearing the lawn. Didn't matter, though, because the second she chomped down on my hand, I knew it was over. After smashing her skull in, I dragged myself inside and upstairs. Maybe....just MAYBE...I didn't get it.

A few hours later, I start to sweat. My fever spikes, and I shiver and vomit what little I had left in my stomach. I'm a goner. Well, might as well go out eith a bang. One last bullet chambered, let's see how well they hear...

...guess their hearings' pretty good.

[Yolan]

Epic story. Thanks for sharing! 

[Geras]

Any mods allowed in that challenge?

 

I'm currently using:

 

Weapon nerf http://pz-mods.net/gameplay/WeaponNerf/

Secondhand loots http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/16060-secondhand-loots-randomize-condition-and-fill-level-of-loot/

Craftable and sharpen axes http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/15045-craftable-and-sharpen-axes/

Handmade wooden dowels http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/1091-handmade-wooden-dowels-realistic-nails-alternative/

 

and others that don't change gamplay much.