Thanks to an article in last week’s Escapist, I’ve started playing Urban Dead, a browser based MMORPG where you are a survivor in a city full of zombies. If you die, you become one of the zombies. My story thus far:
I decided to be a medic. On my first day, I didn’t want to do much, because if I made too many moves I would run out of “Action Points.” That causes the player to fall asleep, totally susceptible to any passing ghoul. So I clicked my way to a few nearby buildings, looked around a little, and ducked into what seemed like a safe shelter. Another player was there, and someone had spraypainted “JOIN A GROUP OR DIE” on the wall. Apparently, players can join factions with other players, either as survivors or as zombies. I was a little afraid that the other guy would kill me, but I took my chances and logged out for the night. One action point regenerates every half hour, so I’d have to wait a while to play again.
Next day, I was happy to still be alive, and decided to roam a little more. About 20 action points into my stash of 50, I found another Very Strong Barricade — the vets call it a VSB, and zombies have a tough time getting in. But I wasn’t satisfied with such a short round, so I ventured out further. Unfortunately, almost everything I came across was heavily barricaded, and I was unable to find shelter. I did some research online and found that the part of town I was in is filled with those kinds of structures, as well as a lot of zombies. I had to get out, fast.
With just ten action points left, I found a hospital called St. Elisabeth’s with a note on the door. Apparently, a faction operates there, but it’s heavily barricaded. For more information, the note said to check the St. Eliz’s Wiki. After some Googling, I found the wiki and learned that a warehouse just north of the hospital is only strongly barricaded, and is a good place for n00bs who don’t have Free Run (where you can walk skip from building to building without losing action points). I ducked into the shelter, posted a note asking for help and went to bed. Someone had spayed on the wall, “Noobie Clinic, keep at VSB.”
Today, there was a note inside the warehouse from someone named Sirs. He said he was from the hospital, and would help anyone who pledged their allegiance. I’m pretty desperate at this point, so I said I was in and relaxed with a few rounds of Halo. I also stepped outside and swung my fists at a zombie that happened to be lurking outside the hospital. It didn’t fight back so I think it was asleep, and though I wasn’t able to kill it, I got some experience points for my efforts.
Shortly thereafter, Sirs posted another note. Medic is a tough class to start with, he said, but since this part of town is getting boring, he’s going to set up an escort to another hospital where I can be of use. He said to check back in for instructions tomorrow. We’ll see.
