Scientific Method - Survival - The Metagame

[Bells]

Extra info that you get from CNN and Youtube (the main Hub of zombie info right now)

Zombies DO walk underwater, but once they get deep enough to harm a human being or kill it, they go down too.

Eletricity is fine in most of the world, same as internet servers and Communication towers. However, most of the people taking care of those things are either dead or fleeing. Just a feel resistance groups (most made of civilians) have decided to camp out and take care of those things untill the bitter end. Predictions say that without proper maintenance, basic services should overload, decay or shut down in 5 years time.

Also it was noticed that many zombies are blind. They drive themselves around by Smell and Sound. Smell being more important.

Most police stations and Military bases are either abandoned (when of low importance) or closed and used as federal headquarters all over the world. In most cases, not taking Civilians in.

[Azisien]

This has nothing to do with the scientific method, stop it!!!

Also, gather as large a group of people as humanly possible (in my case starting in eastern Canada) and enough supplies to travel for a few days/weeks. Hijack a few vehicles and beeline to the shore. Hop on the boat with the survivors.

If possible, use the boat to get to a larger/faster boat. Make our way south, raiding other boats, shoreline stores, or hopefully empty residences along the way. Stick to the shore and siphon other boats' fuel when possible.

Keep going until we reach a larger city with an offshore golf course. Reform the golf course to grow crops and gather supplies/weapons with low risk excursions using the boat.

[Kim]

I would recommend keeping the group relatively small. Enough people that you have the skills you need, but if you get too many people, it get's harder to control them and the chances of something going wrong or someone doing something dumb skyrocket.

[Bells]

Originally Posted by Azisien

This has nothing to do with the scientific method, stop it!!!

Serisously? I really thought it was in some capacity... i mean

* Identifying a Problem
* Forming a hypothesis
* Designing and Performing Experiments
* Collecting and Analyzing Data
* Formulating Conclusions about the Hypothesis

Aside from experimenting (Although, mental note: This whole deal right here... the only Reality show that i would actually like to watch) i thought everything else was in place...

[CrazyBen]

I think I'm going to have to go against the prevailing current of thought here and suggest moving inland might be a better move. My plan for a Zombie Apocalypse is to head for the southwestern US, specifically the part with all the 'Mesa' geographical formations. I figure that, with modern materials we can dig into the side of one and live in an underground shelter with an entrance over a hundred feet off the ground; and we can farm corn, potatoes, and other 'hardy' crops on top of the mesa. Since its in a low-population area, there won't be too many zombies around, and there will be plenty of rocks to drop on any that do show up.

The main problems with trying to live at sea is that there's a lack of food diversity, and the potential to be destroyed by a hurricane.

[Krylo]

Originally Posted by Aunty Sir Dr. Pinkleton "Nightshade" III Cubic

you're on your own; unless one of us can get to you, "cars" doesn't help much.

[...]

cars are pretty useless because a) they can't ram zombies well (they're noit made for that, and are surprising fragile)

You've never seen someone get hit by a car have you?

A car is two + tons of plastics, aluminum, and steel (in mine you can cut out the plastic and just count aluminum and steel). The only reason a car stops when it hits someone, or even multiple someones, is because the person in the car is like "HOLY SHIT I JUST HIT SOMEONE! I BETTER STOP!" The most a zombie is going to do to your car is put a dent in it.

Further, a zombie is going to be unable to grab onto, open, or otherwise infiltrate a moving vehicle, and with their lower muscle strength, as suggested in this scenario (which is opposite of most zombie movies/books/whatever else...) they'd not even be able to get into a stopped vehicle so long as the doors are locked. The glass of car windows and windshields is quite strong, to resist flying rocks and debris on the highway.

It can also carry more supplies than you can on your own.

Further--the feds apparently still exist in some degree and not everyone else is a zombie yet, so I doubt the highways are actually all blocked off. You'd have to be a bit careful near towns and what not, but you can usually get onto a highway a ways away from town without actually taking a highway through the busier areas.

In short--A car in such a scenario = a mobile impenetrable base as well as a weapon. The only drawback is the need for gasoline, but that's hardly an issue once you get to where you're going.

On the other hand, a bike? A zombie could easily pull you right off that thing and munch the shit outta you, and you're not going to be able to get through any zombie mobs. Even steering past a single zombie is pretty risky.


Also:

Originally Posted by Bellsouth Minion

Only salive and blood can pass the virus, and the virus needs a body to live. Spilled blood and salive wont work if left alone for a couple of hours.

All you guys suggesting melee weapons? Haha, you're zombies now. Somewhere along the line you're going to get some of that splattering zombie blood into your eyes, or your mouth, or one of them's going to scratch you and you'll end up with blood in it.

Chances are, in the last scenario, you won't even notice you've been scratched until well after thanks to the adrenaline.

Melee weapons = bad idea.

ALSO: This isn't a virus if large quantities of antibiotics work. It's a bacteria. So this is a bacterial type.

That said--the very very very first thing anyone should do in such a situation is go to the hospitals/pharmacies and steal as many antibiotics as possible. Without them you're going to end up a zombie. There's just no way you're fighting through the zombie hordes without getting their blood on you, and once that happens you're probably becoming one, given the specifics of this particular disease.

Further, given those specifics, you should only use guns, rocks, arrows, and other ranged weapons. Melee is an absolute last resort as bullets are easier to find than antibiotics, and every altercation should be followed by a thorough check of the body for zombie blood on your person. If zombie blood is found, ingest large quantities of the antibiotics.

As for myself--I'd probably not worry so much about survival in such a situation. As a hedonist I'd just be enjoying myself as much as possible and killing zombies along the way. If I make it, whatever. If not, well I'd say surviving a few sex and drug addled months is better than surviving a few years of constant fear.

[Bells]

Krylo got a few flaw on the design of the rest of you there... too bad he is the guy that dont see it as a problem being left behind =P

The thing with these Weaker zombies is that if they swarm, you're toast. Can you trully bear the fear of it? are there enough bullets on you? Do you even have time to reload?

The mask idea is a great one though. Eyes, mouth, ears and nose... blood can get in by any of those. Zombies do have very little blood-pumping action in them, so if you cut one, there shouldnt be much of a spray.

And you cant just chug down Antibiotics at will... it can take some time, but eventually you body should start developing resitance to it.

People "trapped" in campus, are in a weak fortress. No doubt. They are secure. But it's not Shangrilla. You need to get out eventually.

ANd, yes, no doubt a car cam ram into 5-10 zombies easy. But by the time you run over your 100th zombie, you're risking the car's engine.

The boats are there for you guys because i belive it is MUCH more likely that some of you can take a boat to the ocean rather than fly a plane or drive across the country. Plus, boats can take more people and supplies.

Supplies and ammo are actually the worst part. Can you really spare any by going "pirate" on other people?

[Krylo]

And you cant just chug down Antibiotics at will... it can take some time, but eventually you body should start developing resitance to it.

Actually, that's not how antibiotics work. Yeah, your body will develop a resistance, which means you won't suffer the side-effects, but in order for it to have a lessening effect on the disease, the bacterium itself needs to develop a resistance.

This happens when people don't take enough antibiotics to fully kill the bacterial infection--so it would happen, regardless of how much any single person took at the same rate across the board. Actually--one person taking lots of it would help to make sure that no 'resistant' bacteria survives in their bloodstream to spread. It would also help them build up a resistance so they can take increasing dosages to keep up with the bacterium's resistance.

You can also use different antibiotics, rotate and what not. That's assuming the bacteria isn't already immune to some.

But by the time you run over your 100th zombie, you're risking the car's engine.

Depends on the car, really.

A dodge neon, and you're probably in trouble after like five or six of them, as it's almost entirely plastic.

A pontiac bonneville (or anything from the sixties) and, unless you're running them all over in a row (which would be pretty taxing) they're hardly even leaving dents on your bumper. I should know. I drive one.

It's been run over by a semi-truck with no issues other than a dent. It's hit a delivery van with, literally, no ill effects. Nothing fleshy and human sized is going to do much to it.

The only thing you'd have to really watch out for is the impacts eventually knocking a piece of tubing loose. Or ruining your rear view mirrors, I guess. I mean, those are kinda nice to have. You wouldn't want to charge a mob, though, as you'll probably end up getting stuck in dead zombie corpses.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Originally Posted by The Argent Lord

Actually, wait, yeah. If I can get to the Detroit River and find a boat, I'm home free. I'd assume we could all set up a plan to meet at a specific offshore oil rig or somesuch place, clear it of what zombies are there, and try to set up a little self-contained city.

This is my plan. I have acar here, and can easily gather enough supplies to make it to the river (which is literally within sight of my house) and from there I can head to open waters. I would of course need a gps and the coordinates of one of the north sea oilrigs so that I know where I'm going. I'd also gather a few survivers en route, to help gather more supplies and such. Once on the rig we can use the roof to grow vegetables. We would have to distill the sea water to be able to drink it, but I'm sure we could find a way to do that with a little googling. Main problem is meat really, but I think that's going to be a problem worldwide and fuel, we'd need some way to refine the vast amounts of crude oil. In time we could probably have a nice little society in the north sea, acting as a waystation for any other passing boats that may have also fled to the seas.

It's possible we could even take boats back to the mainland to make raids, but that would only be for dire situations.

Unfortunately I can't really help most of you guys, what with being several thousand miles away, unless you want to head my way and join up on the rig.

[Wyndon]

I'd make my way to the NPF hideout, then secretly let in all the zombies to eat your brains out. Because that would make benedict Wyndon happy.


No, for serious, I'd probably be dead in a hot second. I'm always surrounded by groups of friends/people.

I do, however, have a cricket bat (Not kidding. I used to be on the Natoinal Cricket Team for the U.S.A ages 16 and under, and I still have it, signed by the great cricketeers and all). So I'd pull a Shaun of the Dead, and fight me some zombies till I get to some crazy huge supermarket. I'd lock the doors, barricade everything.

Then take out my pound of weed, and fullfill me some munchies.