Thread of Questions

[MysteryMachineX]

Hey guys. I've been working on a Zombie guide for about a year now. I'm nearing completion, but there is a couple sections I'm still working on. You may have seen my storyline thread; that is one. But another is the Questions and Answers section. I'm trying to make a section talk about all the miscellaneous questions people may have that they couldn't find the answers to.

So I made this thread and I was hoping that anyone reading this could help me out by doing one thing: asking questions. Please, ask me ANY Zombie-related questions. I will use everything I can to answer the as correctly as possible, and I do believe myself qualified to answer them.

Hopefully, if this goes well, I can use these questions in my guide, and you'll be credited of course. But I won't necessarily use every question. Thank you for your time, and please, ask anything.

I have 14 questions. I want to stop on a number divisible by five but not less than 16. So I need minimum 20 questions. These are the questions I already have. I'm trying to find REALLY miscellaneous things.

Q1: What is a point gun?

Q2: What is "circling"?

Q3: Are Box Weapons better than Wall Weapons or not?

Q4: Why should I leave crawlers at the end of a Round?

Q5: Why use Mule Kick, risking losing your weapons if you go down?

Q6: What do I do when the Astro-Zombie is sprinting backwards towards me?

Q7: Are the BAR and Deployable BAR really two separate weapons?

Q8: How do I increase the odds of getting a Ray Gun out of the Mystery Box?

Q9: Why continue to play a match when I died at a high Round with no points?

Q10: What happens when a player jumps off the cliff in Moon?

Q11: Why didn't this guy try to revive me?

Q12: Why do we need to turn on the Power when lights are already on?

Q13: Why do people divide windows in the beginning of a match?

Q14: How do people have so many points at the beginning of the game?

Q15:

Q16:

Q17:

Q18:

Q19:

Q20:

[Tom852]

That is not easy.

What type of question do you need. For Beginners, Advanced or for Pros?

[Superhands]

Can the questions be gameplay based as well as story based, is is this strictly a guide to the story?

[MysteryMachineX]

I'd like as many questions as possible. So beginners? Yes. Advanced? Yes. Pros? Yes.

Actually I was thinking this would be mostly gameplay. I honestly don't know what questions people could have story wise that wouldn't be answered from reading the story (I'll have a storyline section in my guide.)

[Tom852]

But isn't that what makes a guide creator? He knows what people's questions are? I'd feel like I take over your work. I don't know how your guide exactly looks though. I hope this gives you some inspiration.

For the newbie, pretty obvious: What's a perk/pap, how to upgrade, how to get power, why is power needed although the lights are on (god dammit, my most first question ever i had after 1second in this game... and still i don't know )

Newbie2: How do I survive longer? [ready to see your one sentence-answer ] Why are people mad when i help them kill their zombs at their windows, why does a LAW sometimes hurt me and sometimes not, i found pap on ascension but the next game there was a gate there, why?

Advanced1-2: what is a train, why do people do that thing so often, why do some want to be alone and not work together, why did this bitch not revive me, why do people leave the game when they die, why do i die when i revive, i always get blocked why is that, how many zombies are there at the same time on the map, lmg or ar, how to maximize points in first rounds, bowie or jug first, when do i get power ups, how many zombs does the waffe kill, how can i locate perks[random perk maps]/pap/box, getting a wall gun [which?] or going to the box.

Pro: When I get the ballistic at 10-11, shall i upgrade it or is it not worth the money, since only 1-hit till 13. Where are optimal spots to let the napalm zombie explode, so that his fire trap will kill a max amount of zombies? Is it better to repair windows later on or rather keep them open? How can I get sure, I won't accidentially pick up the power up I'm trying to hack? In rather narrow areas, my cut back is not working, since the train is not compact enough, how can I avoid this?How do the tele's in FIVE exactly work? (where do they take you) Which move (exact sequence!!) is needed to escape the Astro's hands for sure, what if there is no space to escape to a certain direction? How is the jump thing on Moon working? (where does it take you) How is it connected to the drop system up there (jumper on/off), and how to make sure to catch certain drops? E.g. I want a Nuke, and nothing else. How to do? How does the spawn system in the dome exactly work and how can you accelerate it?

I know you cannot use many of these, but I hope it's good for inspiration. As you notice, the more pro the questions are, the more specific they get, absolutely not fitting a "frequently" in "frequently asked questions" ;)

[MysteryMachineX]

Well, no a guide creator makes a guide. Check. I've done that. Still finishing, but still.

However, many guides have a FAQ section. The only thing is that since my guide isn't released at the moment, I have no questions with which to have an FAQ. And I'd rather not re-release the guide a second time with FAQ questions. When someone is making an FAQ section, they simply answer questions that have proposed common issues. I'm trying to take it a step further and give all the miscellaneous information I possibly can.

Your first few questions are for extreeemely new players I've already covered some of those. Although I guess I haven't mentioned that last one. But here are my answers for that.

1. A Perk-A-Cola is a drink that can be bought from a vending machine for a certain amount of points. Perks-A-Cola have Element 115 in them to enhance various skills.

2. The Pack-A-Punch is a unique machine that upgrades any weapon to be generally stronger. Effects generally include more ammunition, more firepower, and replacement of bullets with lasers.

3. To upgrade a weapon, place it in the Pack-A-Punch.

4. To get Power, flip the switch.

5. In some maps, some obviously electrical devices are in use when the Power is not on. These are usually due to secondary and back-up generators that merely provide vision when the Power is not on. They are common in many secure indoor environments.

6. Don't die. jk jk I do have a strategy section that will hopefully cover this. Generally, learn basic skills in the game to kill Zombies effectively. Beyond that is usually running circles. Players need to learn the circles are better than camping generally for high rounds.

7. In the first couple of Rounds, point accumulation is very important. Thus, it is very common for people to split up the windows where Zombies enter according to number of players to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity for points. However, if someone kills the Zombie at another player's window, not only did he decrease the total amount of points that could've been earned by killing it prematurely, he got an unfair advantage by taking points that were supposed to belong to someone else.

8. The M72 LAW will always hurt you if you shoot it at yourself. It is like shooting yourself with a gun with a much bigger bullet that becomes bigger and fiery upon impact.

9. Apparently someone had unlocked the Pack-A-Punch machine in the first game. In each game, the Pack-A-Punch machine must be unlocked. In Ascension, one must launch the Rocket by riding all three Lunar Landers and pressing the Launch button. Then the Pack-A-Punch becomes usable.

10. A train is really a circle. People call it a train because of a certain player who became temporarily intrigued at the game and popular due to his skill and unique commentary while playing. There are two ways to survive, essentially. Camping and circling. Camping always fails eventually, because Zombies will become too tough to die in time. Circling however is literally running in a circle so that the Zombies continually following you, while you shoot them. It allows you to survive longer.

11. People use circles because they usually guarantee longevity in the game.

12. Some good strategies actually require the team splitting up. Some people will do these strategies and honestly not care if you are holding up your end, because said person only needs to hold up his own end.

13. [Good one!] Players can't always revive. You may have died in a very bad location where he would die trying to get you. He may not be able to get to you in time. The point is that reviving someone is only good if the reviver stays alive. Sometimes he must save his own skin for the good of the team. If that's the case, you must learn to sacrifice yourself for the good of the team.

14. Not everyone has good sportsmanship. Many people get angry that they've died and quit. Some people accredit the blame by saying that if they die with few points they will be unable to ever get "back into the game". This is not true. If a buddy and I are on Round 34, and I die with only 220 points, I will come back with 1500 points. Assume surviving at that point with 1500 points and anything that could buy is impossible (for experienced people this may not be the case). you can still get points by throwing grenades are shooting your M1911 until you die again. You will lose points, but you will gain more. Eventually, you will come back with enough points to buy something, like Juggernog, to let you live longer.

15. I don't know why you are dying when you revive people. Try reviving them when Zombies aren't clawing at your face.

16. Well that depends on what is blocking you. If it is a person, you can't walk through people.

17. 24 max

18. LMG, they do more damage and give more points.

19. [Oh I forgot about this one!] Shoot the Zombies in their legs with 7 bullets. Don't shoot their torsos or you'll only be able to do 6. It is possible to do 8, but it is rather risky. After 7 bullets, knife the Zombie. Do this with every Zombie until it becomes a hazard. Also, rebuild as much as possible.

20. Juggernog first, always. Bowie Knife can be second if you can afford it.

21. Power-Ups drop from Zombies. Only four are set to drop randomly a Round.

22. 10 per shot, 180 total

23. In Shi No Numa, they are completely random. In Shangri-La, Juggernog and Speed Cola always switch. Quick Revive is fixed. The rest are randomized.

24. Pack-A-Punch is unlocked via Teleporters in Der Riese, Teleporter in Kino der Toten, DEFCON in "Five", Lunar Landers in Ascension, Power in Call of the Dead, Slab Switches in Shangri-La, and in No Man's Land in Moon.

25. The Mystery Box has a set series of locations. It will move around the map every time someone gets a Teddy Bear. Each map has hints on how to find it.

26. Go to the Mystery Box unless there seems an uncanny risk to it. For example, if you are in a hurry and the Box isn't nearby, grab a Wall Weapon. Or, if you have few points and don't want to gamble, grab a Wall Weapon. I advocate these weapons per map in order from Nacht to Moon: Thompson, Thompson, STG-44, FG42, MP40, Stakeout, MP5K, AK74u, AK74u, MP5K.

Ah yes, they don't really have to be frequent for me to include it, as long as I think the information from the answer is valuable. As you see above, I've taken a whack at answering them to see if there are any I like. But man! You asked A LOT! I'll edit this post later with the Pro ones or just make another post in this thread with them.

Thanks, I really appreciate it. Btw, I've seen your youtube videos; they're great.

[Tom852]

15. I don't know why you are dying when you revive people. Try reviving them when Zombies aren't clawing at your face.

hehe, that's funny answer

Yeah what I meant was, that reviving will not always work and you have to take care, when you are going to revive. Clear the situation first, or lead all zombies away, or throw a monkey/gersh. Otherwise, zombies will disturb you while reviving, ending you to be down too.

Since a proper Bowie handling does not require jug, but will give you a load of points, and since bowie is only onehit kill till 9, you wanna get the bowie first. Get it at 5, you can afford jug on 6, maybe 7.

Get Jug on 5, you need also a wallgun, and you can afford the bowie at 9 or 10, and then i don't need it anymore.

LMG vs AR, uhh. Also think of the very slow movement speed, think of the reduced headshot multiplier. You may wanna get LMG's when you also can have Stamin up, and when your shooting time is loooong, so you can also make proper use of the large mags.

Imagine you run at the AK Room in Shangri, LMG is crap there. Just to raise the gun and get it ready takes all the time you would have to shoot, then you need to move again.

Therefore, Ascension-COTD-Moon or for camping, LMG's are good. But they also cry for Stamin up and Double Tap. But on average sized circles AR's are to prefer. However this can also be very individual.

The answer to the power thing:

I'd rather say: It's a gameplay feature. The power is always located far away from the start, so that you have to fight a rather long time until you are able to activate it. That means, that all the devices, such as perks or the mechanism to activate pack a punch, are not available in the first few rounds. This grants, the you cannot overpower yourself in the beginning and grants balance to the game. The zombies will get more resistant and faster, but you will also be slowly able to get better guns, or to increase your life, your fire rate and so on. Therefore, it makes no sense. It could also be called the 'zombie invasion switch' that activates all the stuff you need to fight against zombies, instead of just being called the 'power switch'.

[MysteryMachineX]

I suppose your alternative to buying Bowie Knife first is reasonable. However, I think the player needs to be just a bit experienced to survive those couple rounds without Juggernog, but yes, you are right.

As for the LMG v AR, I really disagree. Most circles aren't cramped enough to really make any difference whatsoever. Shangri-La or Nacht der Untoten are the only two maps I'd really be worried about. I personally tend to disregard weight. It is a hindrance, but almost never fatal. I usually go by total damage output. And, upgraded, the HK21 and RPK are much better than all of the Assault Rifles (except for the Galil).

As for the Power thing, that seems more a response to "Why is there a Power Switch in most maps?"

27. It depends on what your use for the Ballistic Knife is. For just knifing, I would think it is a waste of points. However, if you are getting it to revive people, you could keep it as a special weapon for you to use if others already have the unique Wonder Weapon and Awful Lawton.

28. The Napalm Zombie's explosion is best used in tight corridors where Zombies must go through. I personally prefer the bridge as well as the area right outside the AK74u room.

29. Most circles can handle surges of Zombies at one time, so it does not matter whether the windows are rebuilt. However, some circles can get quite particular, and a surge of Zombies resulting from rebuilt windows will ruin the circle. Rebuilding windows just for the sake of points is minimalistic, as they only award 500 max.

30. Since you are trying to hack to get a Max Ammo, throw Gersch Devices or something to distract the Zombies while you try to get it, since you'll be getting a Max Ammo anyway, assuming you are successful. Pull out the Hacker. Slowly walk up to the Power-Up until it tells you that you can hack it. Then hack it.

31. I'm sorry? Cut back? You'll have to be more specific. I don't understand exactly what you mean by that.

32. There are eight Teleporters in "Five". One is on the first floor. Two are on the second floor, but one is a unique Pack-A-Punch-accessing Teleporter. Five are on the third floor. Each Teleporter will send you to any of the other Teleporters, chosen at random. There are exceptions, however. You will only be sent to the Pack-A-Punch Teleporter if the DEFCONs are all pressed. If so, all Teleporters will guarantee your teleportation there. Meanwhile, the Pack-A-Punch Teleporter will randomly send you to any of the other Teleporters besides the one on the second floor. Also, the middle Teleporter on the third floor will always teleport you to the first or second floor (non-Pack-A-Punch-accessing Teleporter).

33. To escape the Astro-Zombie, hold the control stick away from him while pressing the action button repeatedly. It won't always work, but it will more often than not if you do it fast enough, quick enough, and if you weren't too close when he grabbed you.

34. You'll have to go a different way or kill him.

35. You mean the Launch Pad? Sometimes it is on. In that case it will send you flying. Some alternate between directions of flight. Sometimes it is off. Sometimes it lights up as if it were on but it isn't.

36. Occasionally at random, Power-Ups will appear on the floating Launch Pads. To get them, you must hop from Launch Pad to Launch Pad and try to land on the Power-Up. They move and change, so it is difficult. You must also have Juggernog or PhD Flopper to survive the fall, usually.

37. You have to time it, but there is no easy way to do that on Moon.

38. Really? I have no idea. Do you? My inclination is to answer there is no way, but the fact that you ask makes me think maybe you know this.

[Tom852]

Really? I have no idea. Do you? My inclination is to answer there is no way, but the fact that you ask makes me think maybe you know this.

No idea here too.

[Superhands]

How does the spawn system in the dome exactly work and how can you accelerate it?

As Tom and myself have discussed, the zombies seem to spawn from all the way up to the tunnels, hence why it's so slow.

You can however speed things up by using the launchers - when you're launched into the air, the zombies go into sprint mode, which will obviously get them to you faster. Still gonna be slow though.

I'd also recommend getting the Bowie over Juggernog if it's available, no matter what your skill level. If you're a new player, running around with Jugg but no defensive weapon in the early rounds is actually more dangerous than having the Bowie but no Jugg, at least you can easily defend yourself with the Bowie knife, until you get 20 kills with it so you can afford Juggs. Not to mention the point gain

Also, just trying to be helpful with this:

I'm sorry? Cut back? You'll have to be more specific. I don't understand exactly what you mean by that.

You're writing a guide to help people play zombies, this sentence doesn't inspire too much confidence :? I'm not trying to put you off in any way btw, just do some research to help the guide mate ;)

[Ehjookayted]

I'll just leave this here to help you clarify with the cut-back strategy. I like your dedication. The storyline so far is great, and the FAQ is an admirable and great effort to answer all the questions.

General Solo Strategies [$SOLO]

Staying Alive

The objective of zombies is to stay alive and not die, right? Many people still struggle with this and the road to round 20 seems like a struggle to survive rather than the beginnings of a great run. These tips will help you stay alive when you cannot and improve your overall game.

Keep Moving

I cannot stress this enough. In areas where there is no protection (an unopened door or multiple entrance points), you need to keep moving back and forth and around. Getting trapped in a bad area spells immediate death even with Juggernog, so the chances of survival are limited. The best players always avoid these areas, so don’t think that this is just a tip for newer players. It is a tried and true rule of zombies.

Bad areas include (but are not limited to) the front of the PM63 room in Kino, any of the lab rooms in Five, the front area with the MP40 on Call of the Dead, the Mud Room in Shangri-La. Remember, you move faster than sprinting zombies (not electrocuted ones, however) while walking with your pistol/Ray Gun out. Movement is perhaps the best of all strategies and kiting is essentially scripted movement combined with reaction time. Once you learn movement, to not stop and shoot at the top of those stairs with a spawn behind, you will find yourself going down less and contributing more positively to your team or your survival.

Shooting While Backtracking

This is an area with which many players struggle. In my experience, people who move a lot will still go down while shooting moving backwards. While it may seem enticing at first, the thing is that people tend to ADS when moving back and shooting and this slows you down considerably, so much so that, the zombies catch up to you in no time at all. If you hipfire, it becomes less of an issues, but the main issue is that people don’t hipfire.

While some may say, “How can shooting while moving back be a bad thing? I see good players do it all the time!” That may be true, but good players never shoot backwards and run themselves into a corner or shoot backwards whilst all the zombies are spawning. However, that is a main cause of our downs. So the best advice is to only stop and then shoot, unless you are running a tight circular train where you will want to circle around and hip fire only! The fact of the matter is that you move slower while moving backwards and ADS so hipfire is the best in any situation. Furthermore, with the way I will advise you to play, hipfiring is not seen as a waste of ammo but rather a blessing.

Don’t Run into Corners!

Now I don’t how you all play multiplayer, but running into corners is an absolute no in zombies! The zombitches will come from all different sides: front, side, side. Sure you can get away with corner camping until round 9 or 10, but afterwards you’re nothing but dead. Getting cornered is bad enough when trying to revive or run a tight train but forcing yourself into a corner is an absolute NO (yes, I had to say it again). Think about it like this, corners equal death and death can make you lose all your perks, and in multiplayer a death in an obscure corner can lead to you bleeding out, resulting in something just completely terrible: the loss of all perks, guns and good percentage of your points. Once you can learn these tactics of staying alive and can get your downs to 5 or 6 in a 25 round game, you’ll want to get that down to 3 or 4 by not only avoiding bad situations, but dodging the inevitable ones (literally). Zombies can be unpredictable and this is where dodging comes into play.

Dodging Zombies

Dodging is a highly advanced tactic and takes practice and patience.

Sprint Jumping: Your Best Friend

This is a tactic that not a lot of people talk about, but it is one that you repeatedly see in the world records for No Man’s Land. It involves sprinting and then jumping while you are sprinting, to avoid the reach of zombies. Now when you do this, make sure, as you jump, your analog stick is pointed straight ahead or away from the zombie(s). Same deal goes for keys on the PC. I have found that while living on a red screen or on two hits, this technique beats normal dodging tactics any day of the week. However, it requires practice, as your reflexes will take time to develop. Don’t get mad if it doesn’t work at first.

Maybe you’re jumping at the wrong time or overusing the technique. High-level zombies play, in the end, comes down to a simple action-reaction tug of war. The zombies win in the end, but preventing them from victory for 50 rounds sure is a ton of fun. The best way to do that, undoubtedly, would be the well-known strategy of kiting/training. More on that later.

The Screen Shake

This technique will make you look so pro when you use to save your life when you’re red-screened. All you need to do is jolt your right analog stick back and forth while passing a zombie or a group of zombies. This turns your character ever so slightly, that the zombies will change direction/change animations and nearly 100% of the time, not hit you. Now, it does take practice and I wouldn’t recommend this (as it’s kind of like last resort mode) if you have another way out, but for general dodging at full health, I highly suggest you try it out. If you watch closely at some of the best players in the world, you’ll find that they use this multiple times to get out of sticky situations. Don’t rush and get frustrated when you are mindlessly swinging your stick around! Be patient and you’ll learn the technique.

Tip: beware what sensitivity you play on and don’t adjust it immediately; test the tactic out and then switch.

The Sidestep

The sidestep is perhaps the easiest dodge to learn, the hardest to master. This is running right in front of the oncoming zombie and then dodging immediately to your right or left to avoid getting trapped. If you are in a narrow corridor, you should be able to use this effectively to your advantage. Beware, this technique tends to fail me and most others on staircases. When faced with a tight staircase and a zombie, you’ll need a bit of screen-shaking and sprint jumping (maybe even luck) to make it through. However, the sidestep/quick dodge is a valuable technique in surviving the waves of the undead and should be applied where applicable.

The Cut-back

Not only one of the best dodging tactics, but a highly advanced training tactic as well. This technique should be used when round a corner full of zombies; your best option would be to turn back. Go to the towards the zombies then cut all the back where you have the open space. It is a bit hard to describe so here is an illustration of the cut-back:

The Drag-out

The drag out is an exploitation of zombie animations so that you can easily get by one or two zombies. First of all, you should have a lengthy (or short) but most importantly, reasonably far train from you. This is for kiting only, but even without a train, this works. You see the zombies, move back and let them approach your side (you want it to seem like you are pulling the zombies towards you, when in reality, you are dragging them out). Now you can zoom right past them using either sprinting or sprint jumping! Here is an illustration of that:

The Cut and Drag: Escape Route

The cut and drag is a very complex route that you can use to escape certain death. It is a combo of cutting back then dragging out to escape the clutches of death!

How to Kite [$KITE]

Kiting is the way to ensure high rounds and beast mode in zombies. It is called kiting because when you fly a kite, it comes behind you, as do the zombies when you kite them. Kiting is the proven way to do well in zombies. There are many ways to kite around the zombies and here I will talk about the various types of trains.

Basic Kiting

Basic kiting is a tool that you should use no matter what; you’ll probably even use it accidentally sometimes (like the first time you play a map). The essential part of kiting is getting the zombies to all follow you. What I like about this is that it’s not hard at all! On a map like Kino der Toten, if you just ran around the whole map, you’d kite the zombies behind you. It’s that simple! And if you can do that, you’d just need a safe place to start shooting the zombies.

Another way to use kiting in its most basic form is to stick to a set, usually larger route and then stop to shoot when it’s safe. Here is an example of basic kiting:

Advanced Kiting

So as you can probably tell, advanced kiting is more difficult but faster and more rewarding than basic kiting. If you want to get to high rounds, you’re going to want to save time. Advanced more difficult kiting is the way to go! It can be a challenge to do well at first, but you’ll get the hang of it eventually. The best way to get better at running trains is practice!

Advanced kiting usually requires some dodging, good spawn and map knowledge so it definitely isn’t for beginners.

Various Train Types

Here I’ll get into the different types of trains that people run. Some are better than others, some more fun.

The Circle

Nothing but a simple circle. This train is extremely easy to run, may require some dodging, but you usually won’t down unless you mess up or lag. The great part about this is that the zombies join your train without any work. However, ADS is a bit risky so hipfire is recommended. A great example of circle train is the bottom of the lighthouse on Call of the Dead or the Claymore Loop on Moon. These are two easy yet great spots for point building. The only thing I have to suggest is to not sprint at all, unless you’re about to get trapped. The reason for this is because if the circle isn’t big enough, the zombies will come around the other side and it won’t be pretty at all.

Figure 8

A good train for anyone to run. The hardest trains to run can be smaller versions of an 8 train. A good example of this could be the train on Kino as well as the lobby on Kino. The outside lighthouse on Call of the Dead could be a figure 8 as well. Limited risk for downing when you know what you’re doing. This is what you want to do when you need points for sure.

S Train

The S train is as simple as it sounds; however, in execution it requires much dodging as well as practice in getting used to. When you do perfect the S train, you can never worry about getting hit or doing well to help you and your team. A great example of this S train can be the stage on Kino, the lighthouse front of COTD as well as the Flopper lander on Ascension. Specifically the lander on Ascension- an S eliminates any risk of getting hit as well as provides a comfortable place to shoot. This way of running the lander makes Ascension the easiest map.

The Multi Cut Back Train

The multi cut back train is one of the most advanced trains there is to run. It requires skill, concentration and movement. If you are new, or even a bit experienced, you will find a train like this hard. This shouldn’t be a go to train for points, but one that you can use to horde zombies quickly. It’s dangerous but fast and should be a great way to horde up the zombitches for a quick Wave Gun or Thundergun blast. Notice how there are no “shoot” points on the diagram. That’s for good reason. Also, notice the turn back option. This is here in case the zombies coming from head on are too many and a cut back is too risky. You’ll need a quick escape route and that should be it. Examples of this train are the area near turret near the stairs in Ascension as well as the swamp in No Man’s Land.

Crescent Train

The crescent train is one that you’ll actually find pretty common in zombies. It’s primarily a horde then hipspray train, but in the larger locations, such as the Lander and PaP area in Ascension, you can choose to run one of these. There’s not much practice required to get this train right, but if you want to do it in tighter locations, such as No Man’s Land, then you’ll want to spend some time running these. Overall, an excellent intermediate train.

Route Running

Route running doesn’t have a picture to go along with it, since there are multiple routes that one can run, but essentially you stick to a long, drawn out route that requires some skill, dodging, and practice, but is fairly safe and has two or three wall weapons with which to kill zombies! Overall, you’ll want to run set routes on smaller maps, such as Verruckt, Five and Shangri-La.

[MysteryMachineX]

I'm sorry? Cut back? You'll have to be more specific. I don't understand exactly what you mean by that.

You're writing a guide to help people play zombies, this sentence doesn't inspire too much confidence :? I'm not trying to put you off in any way btw, just do some research to help the guide mate

Honestly, I find that insulting. I know what I'm talking about, I know strategies. I just needed him to tell me what he means by that. "Cut back". I can't be expected to know every colloquialism. Vocabulary. Words. That was what I was asking for. That's like saying because I absolutely refuse to use the word "train" in Zombies context means I'm not inspiring confidence to people who ask for help. I've been working on this guide for a very long time before I even joined this site. The "lingo" isn't going to be hip with me.

EDIT: Educated, I appreciate the help, but I can't just rip off your guide.

[Tankeo Dempsaki]

A question you might run into:

What's the easiest map?

You might want to run a poll and find reasons helping or hindering maps in that regard.

[Superhands]

I'm sorry? Cut back? You'll have to be more specific. I don't understand exactly what you mean by that.

You're writing a guide to help people play zombies, this sentence doesn't inspire too much confidence :? I'm not trying to put you off in any way btw, just do some research to help the guide mate

Honestly, I find that insulting. I know what I'm talking about, I know strategies. I just needed him to tell me what he means by that. "Cut back". I can't be expected to know every colloquialism. Vocabulary. Words. That was what I was asking for. That's like saying because I absolutely refuse to use the word "train" in Zombies context means I'm not inspiring confidence to people who ask for help. I've been working on this guide for a very long time before I even joined this site. The "lingo" isn't going to be hip with me.

EDIT: Educated, I appreciate the help, but I can't just rip off your guide.

Sorry if I offended you, I didn't mean it as an insult so maybe what I said was a little harsh... I just thought the term was common knowledge, particularly among these forums. Not saying you don't know your stuff either and I for one am looking forward to the end result of your project ;)

[Tom852]

I tried to explain the cutback @ 10:32, i hope this link works:

another short example in the same video is at 30:35

The cutback is a move to avoid getting surrounded by zombies. The idea is, that when your actual path gets blocked by spawners, you turn around and change the direction of your circle. Instead of trying to dodge those spawners that block your path, you dodge all your train behind you. This works well, since you walk a circle, and the zombies are always in the middle of this circle. They are never directly at those spots that you need free to walk thru.

[MysteryMachineX]

Okay. Sorry, Superhands.

And thanks Tom.

So my input on cutting back:

It's a good tip, turning the other direction. I've done it often enough, but I don't really like doing it. I like to walk in a full circle; it feels safe. But if I have to, in an emergency, I'll do it. And as long as you don't double back upon the Zombies following you, you'll be fine. If you're in a narrow spot when the Zombies aren't grouped, is it really cutting back them? Because that scenario seems to me just like a scramble: you've got enough Zombies in front of you to be blocking you, you've got a narrow pathway or a few, you've got some amount of Zombies behind you that are NOT clustered. It just seems chaotic to me. Since you're trying to cut back, I assume going forward is NOT an option, so you'll have to just cut back and try to wiggle your way through the Zombies back there. I think the best solution for this, however, is prevention. lol. Try not to get into a situation like this.

[Superhands]

No need to apologise mate, as I said it was me that was probably out of line there ;)

[Tom852]

Murder, I really respect and like you. Just your posts on this thread show what a nice poster you are.

But please allow me to be honest. You can not write a guide like Superhands, Chopper or Ehj. can do it, to mention some examples. The Cut Back is neither an emergency solution, nor a chaos, nor something that can be avoided by prevention.

It's a basic move.

I can understand you're arguments very well, I thought the same way. It's hard to explain, but the main thing is just that the cut back makes soooo many thing sooooo easier. What I would recommend is just do some cut backs, also when they wouldn't be necessary and develop a feel for it. You'll see on your own, no chaos, and you'll also see that you just avoided this damn spawn point that killed you so often, cause a zomb was coming out. The Cutback is prevention to go down actually.

I look very forward to your guide, but please do not try to make it a "pro" guide. Do not even try to answer the last few questions I asked there. Not even me knows the answers. I think, just what people need is a guide that is written by a guy that doesn't know everything, that says things a bit easy. A complete different angle of view, that also non-pro's can understand. I mean what we have here - guide from pro here, guide from pro there. What shall a medium skilled player do with that? When you have a look at those Pro Guides, they just say like "do cutback here, drag a bit here, and you are good". I'm sure so much people have no clue what the guider is talking about.

What I expect from your guide is the complete opposite. Something that non-pro's can understand.

Therefore, if you are not convinced of this cut back or something, that is absolutely ok! Why should a newcomer be interested in that. My advice for you is, just focus on a guide for Beginners to Advanced, but do not try to cover every Pro thought there ever was.

I know you are working a very long time on this guide, so it cannot be 'bad' or something. I just think we discuss on different levels here. Whereas me and hands do certains moves automatically without even noticing it, this move might for you be a "emergency chaos thing". But as said, those are exactly the differences that not a single 'Pro' can cover in his guide, cause he would never think, that for a newcomer the cutback would seem that unimportant.

I just say it again: When you manage it to do a guide for newcomers up to advanced, you're guide will be awesome. Because we have never seen this here. So stay onto it, but also do not try to make it too much 'pro' and answer how the teleporters in FIVE work exactly... cause not even the pro's know ;)

[Chopper]

Hey Murder, I think what Tom said makes a lot of sense.

What I would suggest for your FAQ is questions such as -

Where can I practise these techniques? What is the best location on the best map?

What map should I start with to learn zombies? When should I go online and start playing with randoms? What is the best way to behave when playing online? Realistic ambitions - what should a beginner be aiming for to know that they are improving?

But with such a big guide as it sounds, it's very hard for it to be catch all.

And a cutback would be unavoidable on a map such as Nacht. Whilst circle kiting is an amazing way to start learning zombies, the cutback does become essential fairly quickly.

The most chaotic thing about a cutback is learning how to turn 180 degrees quickly and accurately, which comes down to practise.

It seems that you are putting a lot of effort into this and I look forward to reading it when you finish :)

[MysteryMachineX]

I appreciate the courtesy. I'm obviously not as naturally skilled in the game. I've only gotten to Round 48, as seen in my signature, while you guys have gotten higher. But that's not terrible. I still know this game inside and out, and what I don't know I strive to know. So, you guys, who already make your own strategy guides, are going to be able to have a better say than myself. But I still know this game. Like the Teleporter thing, for example. I can still get fun facts, trivia, little tips here and there, efficiency stats, etc.

[MysteryMachineX]

So I updated the first post. I'm just looking for at least six more good questions. Anyone have anything obscure to ask?