Any tips for newbies that aren't necessarily spoilers? Like good ways to approach the game, settings or things that aren't explained that well?
Choosing a good weapon is important.
Spear type weapons,
wooden bludgeoning weapons or unarmed combat with a
simple but effective martial art are probably best starting off. Slashing weapons, especially the early ones, get stuck in things too often to be really viable at the start. You can branch out to basically any weapon once your Melee skill is decent[6ish, usually], though, so don't feel boxed in by your early choices.
Try to keep torso encumbrance at a minimum while maximizing storage space, warmth and protection. Below or equal to the level of your Melee skill is generally a good guideline.
If you're starting as a survivor[They're pretty good, so I recommend doing just that], your winter coat will kill you if you try to to fight while wearing it early on. Either drop a couple points in Melee & Dodging or try and take it off before fighting some zeds. It takes some time to take off, so make sure you're far enough away to doff your coat before the zombies start bopping you.
Speed is important. Almost any speed or mobility traits you pick at the start of the game will be godsends early on and won't lose much luster later either. Don't stack more then maybe two of them though, there are often better things for your starting points to be used for. Apparently you can change movement modes now, so sprinting away from things is probably a good plan if things go south.
This is a bit more spoilery, but ALWAYS take Robust Genetics. While it takes forever to get to, the games' mutation system is really neat and Robust Genetics makes it much MUCH easier to fiddle with.
Avoid smoke like the plague: Exposure without a gas or filter mask will mess you up for hours afterwards and can be fatal if you're already beat up.
Pain above double digits severely impairs your ability to fight. Call it quits if you get too beat up.
Infections will auto-kill you after a few days, so they're pretty nasty if left untreated. First aid kits and disinfectant cure it if the wound is
blue. If you have neither, but have a lighter or a matchbook on you, cauterize the wound with a knife until it is no longer affected. This hurts a lot and does substantial damage, so maybe end your scavenging trip after doing this. I think you need antibiotics or other more advanced medicine once the infection's set in and the affected limb is
green.
If you're playing with static NPCs[Which I recommend, although dynamic NPCs are still really buggy, IIRC], the starting one in the shelter is a mid-grade weapon of destruction. Herd them towards zombies and they'll generally tear through them pretty easily so you can loot their stuff. Ware friendly fire though, especially if they have flamethrowers. They can also make enough noise to attract nastier zombies, so don't follow them too closely.
Stats, like Int or Str, are very difficult to raise. There are a few lategame ways to to it, but you'll keep your starting stats for quite a while. Skills are usually easier to raise, especially for the first few levels of them, so avoid putting too many starting points in them. Traits are the same: You can eventually gain more through lategame means, but that won't be for a while yet.
Stay healthy. Don't drink water without boiling it. Vitamins are your friend. Eat a couple a day and you won't get sick. Sickness is hella lame.
Foodwise, forests are your best bet if heading to town to scavenge is too dangerous. [E]xamining undergrowth lets you forage for food and any decently sized forest will net you more then enough food, although some basic skills are required to take full advantage of it.
Don't minmax yourself TOO much. There are a couple traits that are basically free points, but many other disadvantages[Like the various allergies and ESPECIALY Glass Jaw] will become headaches later down the road[Literally, in the case of the latter].
Ampersands are bad news. That's almost always the case in roguelikes and C:DDA is no exception.
Moose will fuck your shit up pretty badly. And, as a Canadian, I can confirm this is realistic. Real life moose are ornery fuckers who attack CARS. And usually win, although sometimes posthumously.
Some people rave about finding a car with enough wheels and fuel early and driving it around everywhere, but cars make decent noise and the interface is tricky. Maybe designate one as your getaway car if a REALLY nasty enemy appears, but otherwise stay away from them until later in the game.
A good base of operations is pretty important. The starting shelter can work well, but any other hideout with the following things going for it will be just fine as well:
- A constant light source. The working terminal in the starting shelter is by far the best example of this, especially early-game. A torch can substitute for this in a pinch, but isn't as sustainable.
- A basement, where you can sleep. Being on a seperate z-level, zombies can't smell you as well when you're there. Again, starting shelter works great.
- An infinite source of water. Mansions and hotels have swimming pools, which have functionally unlimited amounts of water in them. Otherwise, toilets and rainfall will usually be fine unless you're spending a LOT of time reading skill books or something.
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Topic: Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead - 0.C is out! Our monsters fight each other! (Read 798855 times)