The Apocalypse Survival Thread

[SaintessHeart]

Wow I got A for the 2nd quiz....

B = Physical
A = Mental
Z+ = Knowledge
F = Emotional

Guess I am the black ops type.

I realise the 2nd test is based more on thought and logic than just "zombie knowledge". For example, burning corpses prevents them from rotting and become a breeding ground for mutating viruses in the long run. I thought of the crowbar as a utility tool to lever out doors as well as kill zombies....sledgehammers are too heavy to carry around.

One thing I have thought of is how to determine another group is friendly or not - is to hide, measure the first person's footing length and fire a round 1 foot size away from his next foot down. That will draw their attention, then see how they react. If they have a whole group of panickers, you might want to wait for them to pass, or if you have the firepower and there are no zombies, kill them and take their supplies - they are more likely to end up dead than surviving in the long term.

Another thing is clothing and footwear. I still have my combat boots from my army days (not the lightweight ones made with half-cloth and leather around the ankles, it is the full hard-leather one), so I will be wearing those. The reason is due to the chewproof hard leather that allows me to walk past bodies I cannot determine that are lying dormant or dead.

And to kill a zombie, I was thinking of two places where you can attack, the top of the spinal cord and brain stem at the back of the head, directly below or on the small bump behind your head. Or take something sharp and smash the forehead.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Hmm... the tests ask basically the same questions, but I scored Z+ on the first and C on the second.

1st Test
Physical: B
Mental: B
Experience: D
Emotional: F

Total: Z+

2nd Test
Physical: 58, B
Mental: 60, B
Experience: 49, C
Emotional: 27, F

Total: C


I'll go with Z+. It's important to have self-confidence when the world turns into gooey poo.

[Dextro]

Well here are my results:

Physical: B
Mental: A
Experience: B
Emotional: F
Overall: Z+

So I would probably be that guy that becomes so f'ed up that he's become jaded and will shot someone that's caught without breaking a sweat... I'm good

EDIT: 2nd test
Physical: F
Mental: B
Experience: A
Emotional: F
Overall: C

I guess I would still be completely jaded before I went though :P

[kaizer63]

Test 1:
Physical: B
Mental: B
Experience: C
Emotional: F
Total: Z+

Test 2:
Physical: B
Mental: B
Experience: A
Emotional: C
Total: B

Overall I think the second test is a better measure, but is also too dependent on technical knowledge for its mental segment. The second also lacks some of the gradation for answers the first test had. For instance, there's a huge difference between a major city, small city, and small town, but the second test lacks that type of "middle" answer on several questions. Of course, I'll take both results since they both say I'm pretty likely to survive as long as I take care.

Shame that, for all my survivability, what will really kill me is probably asthma. Will simply never be able to run for extended periods because of that.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by kaizer63

Shame that, for all my survivability, what will really kill me is probably asthma. Will simply never be able to run for extended periods because of that.

Lol I am an asthmatic too but I can jog 6 clicks with a load on. I guess it is more of training than the ailment that affects your body.

[kaizer63]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Lol I am an asthmatic too but I can jog 6 clicks with a load on. I guess it is more of training than the ailment that affects your body.

Even when I was still playing soccer in high school my absolute limit was 3 miles or about 15 minutes on the field (a mix between jogging, walking,and full sprints), though I could handle 2 miles well enough. Nowadays I'm down to about a mile-and-a-half before I need to take a break.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by kaizer63

Even when I was still playing soccer in high school my absolute limit was 3 miles or about 15 minutes on the field (a mix between jogging, walking,and full sprints), though I could handle 2 miles well enough. Nowadays I'm down to about a mile-and-a-half before I need to take a break.

Well I keep my condition up by walking to the nearest station everyday on my way to school. I can still brisk walk 2 up to 4 clicks without feeling breathless.

On the other hand, I did a small research and found out that the 3 most available ammunition in any/most countries are :

1. 5.56 x 45mm NATO
2. .38 SPL
3. 9mm Para

So when you guys keep weapons, remember their calibers.

[Lost Cause]

Originally Posted by MeoTwister5

The GE Minigun really isn't cost effective unless you're battling a literal army of undead. That and I doubt you can actual wield one unmounted, unless you're a terminator.

Also the Kalashnikov isn't going to be common in developed Westernized countries like Japan. If you live in a 3rd world country like me it might actually be your weapon of choice.

I was thinking more along the lines of mounting the Mini-Gun on a vehicle like my Jeep Liberty.
As for the AK, ammo over here in the US is pretty abundant, and it seems that they outnumber the AR-15 by a big margin. I read in a magazine that something like 100,000 have been produced!

[Lost Cause]

Originally Posted by fallschirmjager

Gun girl strikes again!

Why can't I find a nice Sheila who shares my passion for firearms over here...


I reckon I'll start looking into importing a Benelli M4 into Australia since Beretta are only offering the sporting or hunting lines directly over here not the military ones. See how much red tape I'll need to wade through.

(giggle) Aww fall, you call me the sweetest things!
I don't know much about Benellis, but what about an AA-12?! Saw one on the History Channel. That sucker is AWESOME!!

[Tempy]

It seems on the second test, I got a Z rating.

Also, I agree with fall. The person above me is pretty cool.

Originally Posted by Lost Cause

(giggle) Aww fall, you call me the sweetest things!
I don't know much about Benellis, but what about an AA-12?! Saw one on the History Channel. That sucker is AWESOME!!

As awesome as I too believe the AA-12 to be, it has the same problems as any fully-automatic weapon: ammunition burn on full auto. On semi-auto, it's fine, though at that point the only major difference between the not-easily-acquirable-by-civilians AA-12 and other magazine-fed semi-automatic shotguns is the recoil reduction.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Lost Cause

I was thinking more along the lines of mounting the Mini-Gun on a vehicle like my Jeep Liberty.
As for the AK, ammo over here in the US is pretty abundant, and it seems that they outnumber the AR-15 by a big margin. I read in a magazine that something like 100,000 have been produced!

There are 2 different kinds of "popular" AK firearms, namely the AK-47 and the AK-74. Both of them chamber for different rounds.

Originally Posted by Lost Cause

(giggle) Aww fall, you call me the sweetest things!
I don't know much about Benellis, but what about an AA-12?! Saw one on the History Channel. That sucker is AWESOME!!

A semi-auto shotgun has already so much stopping power, so the automatic function is pretty useless.

On the other note, if I ever find a weapon cache, I would probably take the following :

1. MP5N /w reflex sight (loved the gun's accuracy)
2. A M85 Taurus revolver / P226
3. Crowbar

or

1. M16 / M4 Carbine
2. STK CPW / P226
3. Bayonet

Then I would raid for a rifle cleaning kit.

[Cub-Sama]

Hypothetical situation, you have found 5 other survivors but you have barely any supplies and only make-shift melee weapons and you are stranded in the city what do you do?! Go!

[Kafriel]

@^: If the survivors are female, repopulate the earth. If not, distribute the supplies equally and to each their own. Getting together in times of mental crisis only leads to trouble.
Btw my weapon of choice would be a huge axe; I got no problem using or running around with one, and it's VERY hard to miss when using one

[psycho_luny]

Originally Posted by Cub-Sama

Hypothetical situation, you have found 5 other survivors but you have barely any supplies and only make-shift melee weapons and you are stranded in the city what do you do?! Go!

i would first distribute whatever supplies i have....then i would try to find out if the survivors would slow me down or are useful....if they're useful, i would make a few weapons with them (wooden stakes, stuff like that....anything that could be used)....then i would take them with me and search for supplies in the city, killing as many zombies as possible.

oh and my melee weapon would be the katana.....a balanced weapon, easy to use and in my hands....DEADLY

[Cub-Sama]

Originally Posted by Arbitres

....I thought he meant makeshift as, you know... weapons made from scratch or stuff not meant to be a weapon. A katana is definitely a weapon meant to be a weapon.

? Or maybe I'm wrong?

I mean things found in the common home used as weapons, sport tools (bats, paddles, golf clubs etc...), gardening tools (rakes, spades etc...), home DIY tools (saws, screwdrivers, crowbars etc...), knives.

Or weapons you made yourself like in HOTD, Miguno (I think thats his name) and his nailgun with sights.

[psycho_luny]

Originally Posted by Arbitres

....I thought he meant makeshift as, you know... weapons made from scratch or stuff not meant to be a weapon. A katana is definitely a weapon meant to be a weapon.

? Or maybe I'm wrong?

well you can make a katana yourself you know.....
a nice long piece of iron (sharpened)....something that can be used to make the hilt

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Cub-Sama

Hypothetical situation, you have found 5 other survivors but you have barely any supplies and only make-shift melee weapons and you are stranded in the city what do you do?! Go!

Lead them to a "safe house" which has been cleared out then leave them there. Give some excuse that you are out to find more supplies and leave them to fend for themselves.

If they are experienced fighters, I would join up with them and make a survival team, otherwise I'd abandon them altogether.

Also, since you'd be trapped and travelling around the same place before moving to the next due to exhausting supplies, you will definitely create safehouses.

Originally Posted by Kafriel

@^: If the survivors are female, repopulate the earth.

As much fun as the process is of doing so, I don't recommend that. The last thing you want is having two girls to fight over you.

Besides the gestation period is 8.5 months, so you might not want to lug around another living burden while travelling around.

Originally Posted by psycho_luny

well you can make a katana yourself you know.....
a nice long piece of iron (sharpened)....something that can be used to make the hilt

The reason why the katana is so strong is because of the forging method : folding layer after layer and hammering to ensure that the metal atoms are evenly distributed and compressed throughout the entire blade. You can't just take any piece of iron and turn it into a katana.

[-Sho-]

Yup .

Funny quiz .

1st , well too easy to get Z+ .

A , B , C , F .

2nd , is better .

B , C , C, F . Overall , C .

All i can say .

- Traveling in the night -> Drop your survival's chance 100% -> 10%

[psycho_luny]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

The reason why the katana is so strong is because of the forging method : folding layer after layer and hammering to ensure that the metal atoms are evenly distributed and compressed throughout the entire blade. You can't just take any piece of iron and turn it into a katana.

i know....but the thing is....supplies like that are short at that moment....so it's pretty much the best thing and the closest thing to a katana....

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by psycho_luny

i know....but the thing is....supplies like that are short at that moment....so it's pretty much the best thing and the closest thing to a katana....

Bladed weapons will definitely degrade over time after use. When you hack at something hard, the part of the blade in contact with the hard thing will invert inwards due to the mallenable nature of metals. Keep going and the inversion will be more visible, and finally, break the blade at its brittle core.

Swords and blades aren't just molded from any piece of metal you know, not even your kitchen knife. They are built with hard metal cores and soft metal exteriors (sometimes treated to prevent rust) to give it a cutting strength, thus the reason why even stainless steel can rust due to the wearing out of the stainless exterior.