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What is the official lore/timeline for PZ?


Lightning Flash

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I've always been curious about this. In the sandbox, the date is always set initially on July 3, 1993. Is that the official date for the game, meaning this game has always been set in 1993? I mean, it makes sense, considering how there are no cell-phones and all of the televisions resemble that of 90s televisions. Plus, considering vehicles, it makes sense that they all resemble vehicles from that period.

 

I'm just now noticing this stuff, even after looking at it a million times.

 

Also adding, what is the official lore for the events during the Knox Event and after the Knox Event, including what happens to the outside world? It's already established that the infection has gone past the exclusion zone and ravages North America, and presumably the world, but I'm curious as to how quickly this all happens. It's unlikely we'll ever get an environment outside of Knox (not counting player maps, of course), but it's still interesting to learn this stuff.

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If you listen to the radio broadcasts, you can piece together what happened. The outbreak actually begins on July 9th, but for some reason the radio and TV broadcasts incorrectly refer to the date as the 14th whenever you start a new game (this is a bug and not necessarily a discrepancy in the lore). 

 

Knox County is initially contained with emphasis on the plight of Muldraugh and West Point (Rosewood, March Ridge, and Riverside are not mentioned at all during the broadcasts). Refugees live in a makeshift camp on the northern border of the Exclusion Zone around Knox County. Riots break out in many American cities as people question and criticize the President and his administration for their handling of the crisis. It takes about a week before everything goes to shit. A horde of zombies, attracted by chaos at the refugee camp, breaks through the border and infects Louisville. Then the zombie virus mutates and starts to infect people who have not had any contact with zombies or other infected persons whatsoever. And then, by the end of the first week, new outbreaks begin popping up around the world, despite an ban on travel to and from the United States and the declaration of martial law in many American cities. By the end of the second week, TV broadcasts have ceased and radio transmissions are limited to ham radios and other makeshift communications devices from survivors. The exact state of the rest of the world is unknown, but it is presumed that the other major countries on Earth succumbed to the same fate as North America. 

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Short Version. It's 1993.

Far as official broadcasts are concerned, there is about a week of them, at first Knox Event is talked about but it's not treated too seriously, it's all contained and nice. Conveniently the area had no phone lines for a weeks before incident because reasons (Malfunction or something) so people inside the zone cannot be talked to.

Some mentions of dogs escaping Fort Knox and military taking people's dogs.

CDC halts all flights to and from america. People riot, gov reassures people.

Cases of infection are reported in Africa and Europe.

You can hear broadcasters saying they want to be with their families.

BZZZZZZZZT.

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5 hours ago, Deputy said:

I actually kept a written record of all T.V. and radio broadcasts I saw in a run through PZ to help with an upcoming WordZed project and to help keep consistency between the project and current PZ events, so I'd be happy to answer this question.

Please note - major spoilers for the T.V./Radio Broadcasts. This is the relatively condensed form (still wrote up to 7 pages) - I might've missed one or two events (didn't scan the "hidden" channels), but this should be the majority. :)

  Reveal hidden contents

PZ - Lore Background/Tracking

July 9th, 1993 (Day 1):

9:00

- Infection is in its third day - towns are cordoned off.

- 'Panic, confusion' at checkpoints at border, roads blocked by Army

-Overseas equipment (primarily fencing) used to create the borders (separate infected from non-infected)

-Everything below Ohio (OH) River = No-go

-No official update from White House (WH)/Army, panic/confusion

-No communication - Knox Telecommunications says lines are down for maintenance (have been for a week prior to Event)

- Temporary camp w/ journalists and soldiers - John McGrew speech

-Republicans denounce President's plans/actions

10:40 

 - LBMW - Deployment south of Louisville below curve of OH river

11:20 

-NNR - 'Fear & Anger' sweep nation -

- Demonstrations in Washington D.C., city workers in hygiene masks in NYC

-Eyewitness Reports - extreme flu-like symptoms follow by confusion w/ use of violence between sufferers 

-Strengthened military blockade blocking families trying to enter Exclusion Zone (Dixie Highway?)

-Witness claims phone lines were cut while talking to sister in Muldraugh (mentioned kids coming home from school w/ fevers in Muldraugh)

--President meets w/ CDC 2nd time

12:00 P.M.

-John McGrew - No evidence of fatalities, warning shots have been fired

    - "Judged, judicious force" used to maintain border

18:10

- President declares "faith in servicemen and women'/Army

 

July 10th, 1993 (Day 2):

0:50

-Critics of President - Inability to share information at best, at worst 'a reluctance'

-McGrew - "Lack of clarity" apology

-Military Health Officials - "Fatalities not a concern"

1:20

-NNR- Dr. Jeff Galbraithe, former CDC director - Outrage at CDC cuts

5:20

-Counties south of OH river cut off (Knox only confirmed county)

-Phone lines have been out for 9 days (1st of July - onwards)

- Caller claims in Louisville "you can smell it in the air"

6:40

-Demonstrators in Washington D.C.

12:00

-Police officer in D.C. struck by brick during protests - Officers vs. citizens, several arrests

-Not enough food for displaced families at border - restricted movement, friction and fighting on highway (Dixie?)

 

July 11th, 1993 (Day 3):

1:10 

-"Growing unrest", violent scenes across country - Grocery store in L.A. torched

-Placards in Washington, firebombs in Detroit

-Growing anger and camps on border

-President - "No excuse whatsoever" for violence

   -"Fellow Americans laid low w/ sickness" - Every authority on high alert

   - Arrests made, "horrifying activities" not acceptable

   -Running battles w/ police

-Photographs release of infected area (aerial shots?) - fail to calm folks

-Army keeps the peace

-"Degenerative nature of sickness" rumors

-Panic-buying & looting escalate across the country

-Memphis, TN -Battles between police and 'masked youth'

-Public outcry - President appeals for calm

-Warning issued to border camps - "They will be dispersed"

8:20 

-Gunshots heard in Exclusion Zone

-No comment by military

12:10 

-Flights grounded by W.H.O. - All flights after 6:00 PM not allowed to leave

-Army is mobilized and rolls into major cities for fear of further civil unrest

-State Department underlines that Knox Event is contained

    -Considering a nation-wide curfew

-President - Talks w/ General

-Tests on those recovering from Knox sickness are 'inconclusive' - labs set up in zone

   -Eyewitness confirms snipers in place

-President will seek to "readdress" W.H.O.'s decision

18:00

-Reports of violence in N.Y.C., Memphis TN

-People in Louisville/surrounding areas going north - gridlock

18:50

- Peacekeeping forces of military and police personnel patrolling the streets

-WH -"Stay indoors where possible. Do not panic."

19:10

-Officials in NYC fired upon

      -Exclusion Zone widened "to remove any element of doubt"

 

July 12, 1993

Day 4

-Building anger spilling onto streets

-Fatality in NY - injury in Miami

-Stand-off between armed locals and police in Missouri - water-cannons and tear gas

     -Gailbraithe - labeled as former Chief Scientist of the CDC

      - "People are not getting better"

4:20

-Camps along access roads moved back b/c of border expansion 

-Rumors of conflict

-Demonstration in NYC turns violent; growing fear and panic

-Looting

-President "personally take(s) responsibility for the perceived lack of communication"

-"No reason to believe residents won't recover" - notes "receding likelihood" of recovery

-Says country must have faith in military/emergency services

-Tune in to local programming

6:30

-Curfew established, "tune in to local programming"

-WH announces curfew

-Military convoys move from bases into heart of major cities

"Time to face the facts" - President

6:50

-Military installations established in major cities/city centers

      -Word starts getting out about deceased attackers via unconfirmed, unofficial sources

-6 P.M. EST -Curfew

18:00

      -Images of infected released - Violence ensues

      - Photo of man without an arm - Photo immediately circulated widely

      -Man pictured in a crowded street - bloodstained clothing, covered in bite-marks

 

July 13, 1993

Day 5

       -Survivors from inside Exclusion Zone emerge

       -Truth about infected revealed; no comment by officials; "it is contained" repeated 

       -Infection rate is revealed as total in infected towns - "Biting and mauling"; "Everyone's dead"

       -Infected - Caller says "They don't think, they just bite"

-Infection - Transmission revealed as possible, variable incubation period

-Curfew extended to Chicago, San Diego, Baltimore

-Survivors emerge - Fever, violence, blood

-Everyone in zone is infected; infected by attacks

-Military back in checkpoints

-America - "Why weren't we told?"

18:10

-General McGrew speaks - "America is safe"

        -Radio - "Everybody's dead"

        - TV - Panic and confusion" - degenerative nature

-Sufferers are described by McGrew as "not" deceased

-Described as only passed through direct fluid contact

July 14, 1993

Day 6

0:30

-"It's in the meat" rumor

-Panic at border camp

-Gunshot at border, infected appear (hundreds, thousands)

18:10          

-Violence/gunfire south of Louisville

          -Infected break border; mass civilian casualties - Knox Event compromised

          -Reporters (POI Frank Gershwin) bitten/killed 

          -Hundreds/thousands break through barriers

 

July 15, 1993

Day 7

12:00

-Louisville begins to enter freefall

          -Louisville officials urge residents to remain at home

          -Chaos on interstate, lines at gas stations

          -Mass migration aiming north past OH River

          -Violence breaking out across city

-Attack at a rest stop

-Attacks, outbreaks outside of Exclusion Zone

-Rumor that military will shut off bridge spanning OH River

12:40

          -Confirmed reports that Knox Infection is spreading without bites

          -Knox Event confirmed as no longer contained - "Get out"

17:00

-Knox Event spreading very quickly

-Fighting for gas, gridlock on highways

-People w/ infection left on the side of the road

-Reporter Kirsty McCormick begins showing symptoms

18:10

            -Knox Infection sweeping through Louisville

            -Potentially "thousands" infected city-wide

            -Caller says no re-animation yet, but "soon"

 

July 16, 1993

Day 8

0:00

-Caller in Louisville says "People are turning fast"

-Knox Event confirmed again as not contained

-Still spreading w/o bites

6:00

-After 24 hours, spread has accelerated rapidly

-Suspected cases throughout surrounding states

-Huge numbers of people falling ill in Louisville

-People left dying "on streets and in doorways", at stoplights

-Some are known to be immune

-WBLN goes off the air; Knox Hitz goes off the air

12:00

-Jackie Jaye of LBMW is infected w/o bite

-Caller says "the lights go out - but something stays on"

-Knox Event still spreading fast

           -Hospitals are full; sick are left in hospitals, "the doctors left"

           -Incapacitated people are left on sidewalks

           -Many dead; Knox sickness not confirmed as out of state yet

 

July 17, 1993

Day 9

            -Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio infected

            -Further infections outside US

            -Outbreaks in NYC, Chicago

-John McGrew - Addressed uninfected

-Bites will 100% infect survivors if the air hasn't already

-Urges to kill the infected, regardless if friends or family

-KnoxTalk goes off the air

 

July 18, 1993

Day 10

             -Confirmed infected:

                      -Louisville and surrounding areas, KY

                      -Cincinnati and Columbus, OH

                      -New Orleans, LA

                      -New York City, NY

                     -Los Angeles, CA

                      - Berlin, Tokyo

                      -Outbreaks confirmed in Africa, England, spreading internationally

                      -NNR - "God save us all."

 

July 19, 1993

Day 11

            -No more regular broadcasting schedules

            -NNR (last remaining station) goes off the air

            -Final message from General McGrew - "We are coming for you."

 

 

 

 

Now I want to see some official PZ maps (or even just fan made ones) set in other countries, like England or France.

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Now that I'm aware that the game is set in 1993, I have to ask just one question: Why that specific year? Is there a significance to that year in the zombie genre? Or was it just chosen as random or seen as a 'simpler' date so it doesn't have to consistently accustom to modern day tech?

 

This isn't a joke or shitpost, just a legitimate question as to why 1993 was the one chosen year. :) 

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It was the start of a new era if I may guess. Computers were a new thing, small cellular phones too. That's why we don't see many in the game. Things were more simple then then now probably. And it gives a nice vibe, would you like to see some 2k17 zombies wearing stuff hats and overly enlarged breasts and asses that would kill you in an instant ? Not to mention all the media 'zombies' that would probably die tweeting or something. :P 

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id actually prefer 2017 zombies over 1993 ones clothing nowadays such as parkas or long shirts / hoodies and and bomber jackets and such provide more apocalyptic looking outfits than neon pink windbreakers and school shooter trenchcoats in my opinion plus the hairstyles of today are much more pleasant than those of 93 the last of us while not 2017 was set in 2013 and its the best looking apocalyptic game with the best and most immersive looking zombies and survivors to date in my opinion

 

plus nowadays wed have zombies in heavy vests sporting carrying scars and m4s and huge rucksacks and multicam / scorpion w2 uniforms

 

i personally dont like the choice of an old setting but its totally not my say and its atleast better than the 60s/70s/80s

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1 hour ago, TheVastator said:

 

 

uhm what?

I am also asking that myself.

 

2 hours ago, xXxFANCYCAPYBARA36xXx said:

plus nowadays wed have zombies in heavy vests sporting carrying scars and m4s and huge rucksacks and multicam / scorpion w2 uniforms

 

No.  Chances of you finding that are low. First of all, the army usually burns the bodies and would take away any ammo that would fall into civilian hands. Clothes would get burned with the infected alike. Finding UCP uniforms maybe, but m4's on a zombie and huge rucksacks ? 22 storage on a big hiking pack is more than enough. Military backpacks are usually set to weight about 18-22 MAX. An army individual would only carry a small bonnet on him for rations at max. Most military servicemen would carry pistols on them and maybe M-16 if they are deployed to combat or do door to door sweeps. 30-40 of the military would guards/drive/ use machine guns/set defensive positions and evacuate civilians, so no, you won't find kewl guns and such. Also, only combat ready soldiers wear Vests, usually light or heavy armored in case the area is in need to be demolished. Scars ? Everyone has scars. Mercenaries depicted in movies have scars. Most military personnel have little to no combat experience, the most they could have is a tour in a country, most likely stationed somewhere playing cards as planes bomb down some poor souls. Multicam can't help you in case of zombies. The army hasn't changed that much over the years, only more technological advanced, but most stuff is the same or just improved a bit. Also, hoodies and other items of clothing were available back then also, just that you don't see it in all the popular movies depending on your tastes. If you watch pictures, documents and so on most clothing items are also seen today and used. Cheers. :) 

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10 hours ago, Lightning Flash said:

 

Now I want to see some official PZ maps (or even just fan made ones) set in other countries, like England or France.

There might be one set in the UK I think, a small village ? It's in the mod pack, small town 15-20 houses or such, 200 population or so. 

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2 hours ago, Legoland99 said:

Scars ? Everyone has scars.

That sentence made me laugh hard. i was referring to the scar assault rifle 

2 hours ago, Legoland99 said:

Most military personnel have little to no combat experience, the most they could have is a tour in a country, most likely stationed somewhere playing cards as planes bomb down some poor souls. Multicam can't help you in case of zombies.

Yeah but im fairly certain that we would have the national guard in such a case and not the actual military. i seen plenty of pics of national guardsmen in hurricane devastated areas wearing multicam and ucp. sure it wont help against zombies, it also doesnt help against strong wind or rain or debris flying around but that doesnt stop national guardsmen from wearing their uniform on duty
 

Spoiler

 

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image.jpg

 

 

^if theyre gonna wear combat uniform doing some repairs after a hurricane im sure its fair to assume theyd wear their combat uniform while tasked to protect an encampment from undead tearing people apart and trying to eat them

2 hours ago, Legoland99 said:

huge rucksacks ? 22 storage on a big hiking pack is more than enough. Military backpacks are usually set to weight about 18-22 MAX.

refer to last image above

sure its not gonna add much difference but an ucp / multicam rucksack would be badass when backpacks are visible on your character. more diversity wont hurt. 

2 hours ago, Legoland99 said:

First of all, the army usually burns the bodies and would take away any ammo that would fall into civilian hands.

nah man im talking about fallen soldiers and shit, obviously everything went south and whole encampments were overrun. i doubt the military would take their time infront of a huge horde of zombies to leisurely stroll around a mass grave and look for soldiers and specifically burn them and take their ammo, theyd likely just gtfo of wherever they are in that situation. i know people got pride but surely youre not gonna stop to bury / torch and loot 5 fallen soldiers while your and 90 of your fellow guardsmens lives are on the line with a fast advancing horde, like 5 feet infront of you, that just destroyed your entire encampment and infected everyone inside coming straight for you-

 

lastly youre talking about a realistic scenario with realistic zombies and tactics so the way youre thinking we would never be playing this game in the first place solely by how many people would find / own weapons and just band together cause slow decaying zombies simply cant do anything against a speeding humvee with a minigun mounted on top and a huge connected society of people in a country with more firearms than citizens. ofcourse theyre not gonna leave shit behind realistically but were talking about a scenario where you find national guard zombies strolling around the horde so obviously theres some liberty taken with whats gonna play out. a zombie apocalypse cant realistically happen among the reasons being because of our militaries so i dont see why were gonna have an entire planet filled with huge amounts of zombies but not see a single guardsman or crashed humvee or stopped convoy anywhere.  i doubt youd ever kill a zombie with a pristine axe in his / her backpocket realistically, yet its an effective way to get axes in this game.

 

my other post was worded badly as i meant the entire national guard in general (all the vehicles and personnel and not just some zombies) i meant to say finding an m4 or scar (assault rifle) or a backpack in the back of a humvee not on a single zombie corpse.

 

 

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True, now we're talking XD Finding a hiking backpack or a military one would be sweet. Ofc, backpacks would be found in car trunks or in shelves etc and guns would go the same way, but also on zombies. I would love to see hunting knives, pistols and rifles on them. Sure, some weapons dropped, are out of ammo or in a bad shape, but in 1-5 corpses you should be able to find a gun and some ammo. That would be sweet. Right now there's a lack of weapons to be honest, and I mean in terms of rifles, semi-automatics, blunts and knives.

 

Also, zombie patterns are unpredictable. Once a car gets stuck, either from zombie bodies/limbs stuck underneath or from engine, a whole convoy can get easily overrun, especially if the car is in front. 

Judging by the airborne virus in PZ, cars would lay abandoned on the road, meaning that national guard vehicles or any type of cars would have to move slow to manoeuvre  through debris, bodies and occasionally, if not often, push cars out of the road. Also, here's a video of what a high speed crash with a 50-70kg dummy would do to your car. Notice a cracked windshield and a dented body in front of the car, meaning that the slower your car goes the more it can go through zombie infested roads. But, a humvee is only 10 times stronger or so, it could get stuck and eventually you'll either starve or have to abandon the vehicle. Plus it consumes a ton of fuel! 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqNKY3YPjTw

Also this.

 

Also in regards to axes and such, object like knives, screwdrivers and other objects will be in some zombies by people who tried to fight their neighbors, friends or complete strangers. 

6-tips-to-safely-kill-zombie-projects.jp

 

Now, freshly turned corpses will be more flexible before rigor mortis sets in, making the limbs stiffer. Also some people had more or less muscle mass, making them unpredictable, hence some zeds rapidly following after you. Also, some bodies rot slower than others. 

 

Another thing that makes zombies spread fast, their resilience and their resistance. Sometimes, a zombie can resist a bullet to the head. Not all zombies die from a single gun shot as not all people die from a single gun shot, so watch out. You can take their limbs but not their will. Broken bones are the worst. They can cut you in a matter of seconds if you don't have a large ranged weapon or blade. Alone they are not that intimidating unless they are people you know or have more strength/agility then most or got freshly turned. 

Also they can sustain a large ammount of trauma to the head. Not all zombies are the same, some are weaker and some are stronger, more resilient. Damage is nothing to them, and being able to moan means getting others to follow. The sheer numbers are what kill the humans.

 

Special effects are sweet.

 

SNSc7QH.jpg

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On 9/21/2017 at 11:33 AM, nasKo said:

Threads merged. Why make two?

 

I made another separate post about choosing 1993 because if I simply asked that question in this thread, there's a likely chance it won't be as noticed as its own thread. I'm in the Undead Labs forums and did the same thing solely to have some questions answered that I really needed answered. They merged it into an old thread I did a couple weeks before, and I've still yet to get any answers from that question.

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